News Release

Friday 14 November 2014

Works to start on Fenton/Haupapa streets intersection changes

Rotorua District Council is urging motorists to be patient when work gets underway on Monday [17 November] to improve safety at a problem inner city intersection.

Sections of the median strip on Fenton Street, near the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre and Police station, are being joined up to improve traffic flow, and widened to provide a wider and easily accessible refuge area for pedestrians to cross Fenton Street safely.

The extended median strip will remove right hand turns at the intersection. Once the project is completed traffic moving along Fenton Street in either direction will be restricted to left turns only into Haupapa Street. Similarly, traffic in Haupapa Street will only be able to turn left into Fenton Street.

District councillor and Inner City Revitalisation portfolio lead, Karen Hunt, said traffic speeds at the intersection had long been difficult to gauge for both pedestrians and motorists.

“Public safety is a high priority; so we’re confident the upgraded median strip will improve traffic flow and reduce the existing problems at this difficult intersection, while also improving the streetscape of the area.

“This location is also one of the main entrances into the council Civic centre, so the wide, flat pedestrian refuge areas will certainly make it easier for those with reduced mobility to walk safely across the road.

“The works are part of the council’s ongoing commitment to revitalising the inner city and improving safety,” said Ms Hunt.

As traffic will be reduced to a single lane for part of the time so the council is asking people to be patient and careful for the short period while road works are underway.

Preliminary work will begin on Monday (17 November), weather permitting, with lane closures expected fromTuesday (18 November). The project is scheduled to take approximately three weeks.

[ENDS]

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