Pōkeno Main Street Project Update - 19 April 2024
as of 19 April 2024
Kia ora everyone, I hope you’re all fit and well! Another week ticks by and progress is now obvious…
What’s happened this week:
Main St
Paving on Main Street is taking shape now. The roadside paving is done creating a one-meter-wide paved strip (that will be in use next week!).
Communication devices were installed at the traffic lights proving a link between Hitchen Road lights and the control centre in Hamilton. A radar at the top of both poles points just past the stop line to detect any cars waiting in a lane.
Prep has been done for the new speed table across the pedestrian crossing.
The high temporary fences came down as the worst of our dust and debris work is complete. Great to see light shining on the shop fronts again!
Roundabout
We had the Hydrovac out to expose more underground services. The Hydrovac is an essential excavation tool for us to ensure we don’t cut anything we don’t want to.
Our project team has completed the design work and the best ‘staging’ for the roundabout project. ‘Staging’ simply means how best to break down the entire project into logical seamless stages.
Early heads-up: There’ll be a couple of night shifts in the week beginning 6 May. These are to lay new asphalt pavement on the main street. This is a great indicator that the end of the Main Street project is in sight as paving the road surface is one of the latter steps we do. Yes, there’ll be more finishing after this, but it’s getting close at this stage!
Enjoy your weekend and please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. If I don’t have the answer, I can find it for you!
What’s happening over the next week or 2:
Main St
Paving will be our focus and we’ll be working in front of the shops next week. The crew will work in small sections fenced in with the low orange barriers.
Access paths will always be maintained to shops and pedestrians will switch over to walking on the new paved section of the path. The sections of paving directly into shop entrances will be done in early morning shifts (before anyone opens for business).
The pedestrian crossing speed table will be poured with a mix of concrete and asphalt.
Roundabout
3-night shifts are planned for this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to run drains across Great South Road to the Roundabout. These are essential works to complete before we get into excavation at the main site.
Wednesday we’ll switch back to a day shift and start excavating.
