An update on the Woolston Village UpgradeKia ora from Woolston Village Upgrade team. Road closure - St Johns StreetFrom next Monday 17 August, we need to close St Johns Street between Ferry Road and Glenroy Street for up to six weeks. Right now, work is going more slowly than planned because the sewer pipe is deep and the ground is very wet and of poor quality. We now need to ‘dewater’, or suck water out of the ground to make it dry enough to work in. This equipment takes up a lot of space and closing the road will allow us to finish this section of work, quickly and safely. A detour route will be in place via Portman Street and Glenroy Street (refer to map, right). Multiple teams make short workWork is gearing up - we now have four teams working in Woolston Village.
What's coming up nextSewer, roading and streetscaping worksOver the next two weeks, the roading and streetscaping team will continue removing the kerb and channel and footpath on Ferry Road between St Johns Street and St Anne’s School. They’ll also do some more potholing (day works) to identify underground services and will put up some signage directing people driving to the free car parking behind the community library. Love Woolston, Shop LocalWe understand that parts of these works will be disruptive to local businesses and will be taking steps to make things as easy as possible. You may have seen our ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ advertisements and posters in community newspapers and on billboards along busy routes. Keep it “local” and support your community! Bakery owners back their communityHusband and wife team Srey and Lim own and operate the Bakery & Coffee On Ferry. Srey says: “Easy - my customers and my neighbours!” “The roadworks are a little disruptive, but when its finished, the Village is going to look great." Regional Business Partners NetworkChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, is working in partnership with Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce to provide COVID-19 response services via the Government’s Regional Business Partner (RBP) network. Through the RBP, business owners can access up to $5,000 per business from the Government’s COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund. For more information, visit their website or phone 0800 505 096. Where to park during the upgradeThere will be no on street parking along Ferry Road through Woolston Village from Portmans Street to St Anne’s School while this work is happening. If you or your customers usually park on the road, we recommend parking in the Council-owned car park off Portman Street or try the off-street parking on Glenroy Street. Check out our parking map here. Need more information? We're here to help.Haidee Scott, communications advisor Brian Jackson, Citycare senior project manager Check out our project website for the latest information on the upgrade. Answering your questionsWe’ve been asked a few questions when out and about talking to people, and thought we’d share them with you in case you’re wondering the same things. Can these works be delayed - we've already been hit hard by COVID 19 The wastewater pipes under this road have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced urgently. The road surface has also deteriorated and needs to be repaired. Combining the two projects at this time means we can complete this important work quickly with minimal disruption for businesses and residents. Why aren’t you doing the works the way you said you would? Unfortunately the nature of working beneath ground is that unexpected things often happen and occasionally things go wrong. Fortunately for (most) civil engineers, this complexity is one of the things they enjoy about their work. When unexpected things happen, we need to keep our teams working. This is why work may stop in one area and start in another. Why are there so many cones and why have you put them right in front of businesses, restricting their parking? Sometimes the way our cones and fences are set up doesn’t seem to make sense – especially when cones are blocking off much-needed business car parking. However, we do it this way because we must abide by the legal requirements for using temporary traffic management, set out in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management
(CoPTTM). These requirements are in place to keep all road users and workers safe. Safer crossing at St Anne's SchoolWe had to remove the Kea Crossing on Ferry Road outside St Anne’s School to make way for the sewer renewal, so our team created a temporary solution to provide the children with a safe place to cross the road. Removing trees to make way for new onesOver the next few weeks a small number of trees will need to be removed to enable the road and streetscape changes to take place. We'll be replacing some these and adding additional trees, once work is finished and the winter 2021 planting season begins. These will be a mixture of Kahikatea, Magnolia and Maple, which will work in well with the existing trees and enhance the village atmosphere. Kahikatea, pictured below, is native to the area, and is a good option as it has an upright form and grows relatively quickly. As a lowland tree that likes to grow near rivers, the kahikatea is a suitable reminder of the history of the landscape and its early inhabitants. Stay up to date with news and updatesVisit our project webpage for the latest information about the upgrade. We'll send out regular newsletters as the project progresses. If you know anyone who would like to receive these newsletters, please ask them to sign up here, or email WoolstonVillage@ccc.govt.nz. Thanks for your patience while we upgrade Woolston Village. You received this email because you are subscribed to receive updates from Christchurch City Council. |