Pōkeno Main Street Project Update
as of 12 July 2024
Kia ora everyone,
Hope you’re all fit and well and enjoying the sun while it's out!
What’s happened the last week:
Roundabout
The week has been spent prepping the road layers for a first coat of Asphalt. The lanes of the roundabout are getting a thick layer of structural asphalt while the tails (or lanes heading off to main street and Pokeno Road) will be chip sealed. This work will allow us to swich sides and put traffic around a new layout. These layers are not the final road surface! Once all construction work is complete we’ll lay the entire final coat of Asphalt in one go for a durable and smooth final product.
What’s happening over the next week or 2:
Main Street
The final touches will be made on Main Street this week. A challenging build for our streetscape designer has been conquered and we can now install the street seats and new planter surrounds. We want to minimise any disruption so we’ll be working from 3am to 7am and it may take us a couple of days. The impact during these hours will be that we occupy the main street parking bays while we Hiab off the furniture. Customers will still be able to access businesses that are open prior to 7am. There will likely be some preparation works during the daytime so expect to see our crew installing anchors in the footpath prior to this work. We’re aiming for Tuesday morning and If for any reason this is delayed, expect work on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
Monday night we’re acid washing and sealing concrete at the pedestrian crossing entry points. To minimise impact to the public this work won’t begin until 10.15-10.30 pm. We expect minimal impact on pedestrians at that time of night.
Finally…..permanent rubbish bins are expected to be in by the end of next week! Spot the new wrap which features local scenery.
Roundabout
The roundabout will see noticeable change next week (and over the weekend).
We’re on target to switch sides and establish a new worksite which means a new traffic flow will be in place - and changes for motorists. Have a look at the attached document where I’ve tried to make these clear!
The 2 main changes are that traffic will now be able to drive directly from Pokeno Road into town (and not have to do a sneaky u-turn on Great South Road), and traffic coming off the expressway will be able to turn right up Pokeno Road (and not have to take the full detour). There will still be no passage north through the roundabout site as we only have room for one direction of traffic.
The lanes we’ve formed will be sealed and the existing roads tied in as we aim for Monday as the goal to switch over. It’s back to site excavation and drainage works after that.
There is always teething problems when a new traffic layout is established. Please be patient with our crew as they work their hardest to make this a smooth change.
I know some of you get questions about progress and we sincerely appreciate you passing information on. If you think it may help, please feel free to share any of this content on your local social media pages.
We remain on track to finish in October.
Have a great weekend and please contact me directly with any questions or concerns.
