Buses, taxis move to make room for facilities' upgrade

Adrian Thein
Adrian Thein
Parking and vehicle movements in the Octagon, Dunedin, particularly for buses and taxis, are about to change, as the $45.8 million project to upgrade the town hall, Dunedin Centre and municipal chambers begins.

The Harrop St taxi rank is moving to upper Stuart St, beside St Paul's Cathedral, while tour buses will move to Princes St.

Another major change will be the closure of Harrop St to private vehicles.

Octa Associates project manager Adrian Thein said the changes would be in place until work on the municipal chambers project ends on March 25 next year.

Once that is completed, work will move to the Dunedin Centre and town hall, and that is expected to be completed by December, 2012.

The Dunedin City Council recently announced Amalgamated Builders Ltd had landed a $35.6 million contract for construction, creating work for up to 150 people.

Early work on the project started last week.

Mr Thein said with winter a quiet time on the tourist schedule, the next two months would be a test before cruise ships started arriving in October.

Local tour buses, including Citibus, Monarch Cruise and Elm Wildlife Tours would be relocated in Princes St between Moray Pl and the Octagon, facing north.

Mr Thein said those buses would be able to fit in with other traffic, as long as they kept to a five minute drop-off, pick-up limit, and the situation would be reviewed before the summer tourist season.

The future home for cruise ships shuttle buses was still being considered, but there was time to make a decision before the first ship arrived in October.

- david.loughrey@odt.co.nz

 

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