The $31 million project to extend the West Harbour shared pathway 5km to Port Chalmers, improve safety on SH88 and realign the railway has reached a complicated stage, NZ Transport Agency senior project manager Jason Forbes says.
‘‘We have now reached the point where we have to move the railway track near St Leonards, so that we can accommodate the shared path,’’ he said.
The area where the rail is being realigned runs between the St Leonards Boat Club and Curles Point.
‘‘To do this work safely, we need to reduce the highway to a single lane for up to a kilometre along this area of St Leonards Dr,’’ Mr Forbes said.
To minimise disruption to trains, the work has to be done during weekends, for periods of up to 68 hours.
Contractor Downer had planned to finish this work by the end of August, but work was halted by the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown. It started again last weekend when the South moved to Alert Level 3.
The 24-hour work will continue this weekend, from 7am on Saturday, September 11, to 5pm on Monday, September 13.
Single lane closures of up to 1km will operate on SH88 during these periods, while access to affected properties will be maintained throughout.
Safety is a top priority and people are urged to stay well away from designated work areas, and to ensure children and pets are under supervision at all times.
Stringent health and safety protocols for workers and road users are also being followed.
Drivers are advised to allow an extra five minutes’ travel time to reach their destination.
