Green Corridor works starting on Hinemoa St block to City Focus

Rotorua Lakes Council contractors are expected to start work on constructing the next inner city section of Rotorua’s Green Corridor pathway next week.

The latest section of the Green Corridor is to be built along the southern side of the Hinemoa Street block between Fenton Street and City Focus.

It follows work currently underway along the Hinemaru to Fenton block of Hinemoa Street which is nearing completion, with gardens and plantings scheduled for installation over the next few days.

Construction of the Green Corridor’s next section will involve removal of parking spaces along the southern side of Hinemoa Street to be replaced by the Green Corridor pathway running alongside the footpath. It will leave two lanes of car parking in that section of the street, rather than the current three.

The move is expected to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety, reduce current congestion and increase vehicle manoeuvrability. The current layout of Hinemoa Street has often been singled out for criticism because of the difficulty it presents in manoeuvring vehicles, especially with the increasing number of larger SUV vehicles on city streets.

Rotorua District Council Transport Operations manager Peter Dine said work on the new Green Corridor section was likely to take two to three weeks, weather permitting, meaning some inconvenience for motorists and pedestrian for a short period of time.

“We’d appreciate people’s cooperation and patience while work is underway and we’d ask that a little bit of extra care be taken. However, our contractors will be doing their very best to minimise disruption as much as possible.”

The inner city stage of the Green Corridor follows completion of the first stage across Kuirau Park recently. The pathway will run parallel to existing footpaths through the inner city, providing a separate safe lane for cyclists and other users, including people on scooters, joggers and walking groups.

When completed, in early July, the Green Corridor will span a total of two kilometres, providing a safe cycling path all the way from Government Gardens, through the inner city, and across Kuirau Park to Lake Road where it joins up with the Ngongotaha cycle pathway. It will also link up with other cycleways across the district.

The Green Corridor project is part of the Rotorua 2030 Inner City Revitalisation strategy and the district’s wider cycling strategy, as well as supporting the council’s goals for providing recreation and healthy lifestyle opportunities. The project will also improve congestion in some streets where there is currently angle parking on both sides as well as in the middle of the road.

The Green Corridor project is a partnership of Rotorua Lakes Council, New Zealand Transport Agency, the Inner City Focus Group and cycling groups. Fifty seven per cent of the project’s $397,000 total budget is being funded by NZ Transport Agency and the balance by the council.

People can stay up-to-date with progress on Rotorua’s Green Corridor development on the council website rotorualakescouncil.nz.

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