All I want for Christmas is a two-way street

Motueka’s tide of road cones is slowly turning, with several of the town’s roading projects turning the corner towards completion before Christmas.

Pah St, which has spent several weeks as a single lane westbound road, is now back to full operation, with two raised crossings outside Parklands School. Kerb build-outs have been installed to narrow the road and slow the flow of traffic on Pah St and around the corner to Talbot St.

Rob O’Grady, Tasman District Council’s team leader – project manager, confirms that the project is “all done except for minor tidy ups”.  

He says the team is due to meet with Parklands School tumuaki/principal Andrea Smith this week for a project completion profile.

Rob also confirms that the Old Wharf Rd changes, which have centred around a new raised crossing near the Motueka Recreation Centre, is also all finished aside from some minor tiding up.

Nearby residents and businesses endured a six-week closure to through-traffic along the street, which reopened in November.

Landscape planting will be replacing the stones in the kerb build-outs in autumn.

The council is also planning to change the line marking at the recreation centre “to align with the new entrance/ exit arrangement”.

Parker and Atkins Sts, in Motueka’s north-western corner, have been prolific road cone zones for weeks due to the wastewater main project.

TDC’s Adam Henderson, whose title is team leader – projects – community infrastructure, reports that the work on Atkins St will be finished and open by the end of the week. He says there is still a short section to complete on Pah St, between Atkins and Grey Sts, which will start in mid-January.

What goes out, must come back in. Motueka residents should expect a smattering of cones to return early next year, with the upgrade of the existing gravel path between Manoy St and Talbot St beside Sports Park.

Rob says that in February, the council plans to start work on constructing a new bus shelter outside the Motueka Library – Te Noninga Kumu. March will bring a new shared path up to Te Awhina Marae from where the current path ends on Pah Street.

Another path will run along Queen Victoria St as far as Whakarewa St, and in April, the missing section of the Whakarewa St footpath will be constructed.