The upgraded Esk and Don Sts were blessed and formally opened by the Invercargill City Council (ICC) at a ceremony yesterday morning.
City leaders, council staff, contractors, retailers and community investors were led by Waihōpai rūnaka on a whakawātea blessing of the streetscapes before a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the end of construction.
For three years, the busy central streets have been ever-changing construction sites, closed to traffic and reducing access to several adjacent businesses.
Mayor Nobby Clark said the past few years had been tough on the retailers, but the finished product was "absolutely stunning".
"They’ve had two Christmas periods where they’ve not had normal foot traffic coming in, but this and the mall that sits behind it, the ICL, are just outstanding really."
The development of Esk St was achieved through a coalition of partners, he said.
ICC roading manager Russell Pearson said the project was certainly one of the biggest he had undertaken while at the council in terms of dollar value, extent of time, and sheer scale.
"It’s been a team effort, that’s the biggest thing, that’s actually about building relationships. If it’s not with the retailers, it’s with the councillors and the contractors. It’s about everybody working together to come up with the right design in the right place.
"If you look around, there’s huge investment by many people across the across the city. Invercargill is a great place to live, Invercargill has always been a great place to live."
ICC chief executive Michael Day said the streetscape was a big push forward for the city.
"Walking around this morning, and just looking at the story and understanding what it’s all about, was just amazing. I don’t think there’s many cities around that actually have that story through their streets."
