Work is underway on building a new roundabout to increase safety and access from State highway 6 (SH6) to the Glenda Drive industrial area at Frankton near Queenstown.
The roundabout will also connect the future Eastern Access Road to SH 6 and thereby provide access to some commercial developments on the northern side of Queenstown Airport.
Greater safety at the busy Glenda Drive intersection is one of the aims of this project, along with reducing traffic congestion by creating extra vehicle capacity at a main access point to proposed development of the Frankton Flats. It will also provide much needed additional road capacity on the State highway, to meet the expected traffic growth generated by continuing commercial and residential development in this area.
Transport Agency, Acting Southern Business Unit Manager, Ian Duncan says, the $7.5million contract awarded to Fulton Hogan Limited, is funded by Queenstown Lakes District Council, the Transport Agency and developers on Frankton Flats area. Fulton Hogan’s team working on this project is drawn largely from its staff in the Southern Lakes Region and local subcontractors.
To ensure road user safety, speed restrictions will be in place throughout this project, that’s due for completion in October.
Mr Duncan says while two-way traffic flows are being maintained, some delays, although not major ones, are inevitable with a job of this size.
Regular users of this highway may like to consider using alternative routes via Gorge Road to access Queenstown, to avoid some of the traffic pinch points that may occur as work on this project gathers momentum Mr Duncan said.
As part of the traffic management at the site, the contractor has installed a temporary roundabout at the current Glenda Drive intersection. This has been made possible because a 50km/h speed limit is in force. The temporary roundabout will make right turns out of Glenda Drive safer, and reduce traffic delays for all motorists using Glenda Drive.
More information about this project is available here(external link).
