We have prioritised construction of the works in Frankton which include installing traffic signals at the SH6/ 6A Frankton intersection and adjacent SH6/Hansen Road/Joe O’Connell Drive intersection, extending the Bus Hub and adding traffic signals at the entry and exit to make that movement easier for buses. We will also be constructing new bus stops, adding cycle lanes, and creating shared use paths. While we are completing this work, we need to move some underground services and underground the power to remove overhead power poles and lines. We are also building a roundabout at the SH6 and Howards Drive intersection.
We all know that the SH6/ 6A roundabout in Frankton intersection (BP roundabout) is at capacity at peak times, and something needs to be done to make it easier for people to drive, walk, cycle, and for buses to move around the area. The remaining works for the Queenstown Package which include bus lanes, intersection upgrades such as traffic signals, marina access improvements, and walking and cycling enhancements along the SH6 and 6A corridors are being designed, and construction of these works will progress when funding is finalised.
The construction works to upgrade the intersections and Bus Hub in Frankton is anticipated to take four years to complete. We know this is a long time and that road works are frustrating. Several factors have influenced this timeframe:
- The SH6/6A Frankton intersection is an important connection point for the whole Queenstown area and beyond. We must keep the intersection functioning and maintain one way traffic flow in each direction during construction of the new intersection layout. There is no viable detour route that can be used to complete the works faster - Arthurs Point is a long detour with a single lane bridge already subject to some congestion and with icy conditions and downhill approaches in the winter, as well as being the main road to Coronet Peak ski-field which gets busy during ski season. While locals may feel comfortable using this route, it is not suitable for tourists or those unfamiliar with the roads.
- The Hawthorne Drive/Lucas Place detour route has been considered and tested in March last year, when the SH6/ 6A intersection was shut down for three consecutive nights. While this was successful and remains an option for limited night work situations, it would add a further 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day onto what is an already busy route and would be very disruptive to the Remarkables Park commercial centre and other businesses on that route.
- The Ross Street/McBride Street detour route was also considered; however, these are relatively narrow residential streets. Frankton Road carries between 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles a day, so even a partial daytime detour of traffic via this route would be un-manageable and create further disruption to those living in the area.
- There is a limited construction season, and it is not possible to surface or construct road pavements during the winter season from May to August. This surfacing constraint is standard for the winter in New Zealand, however, the restriction on pavement construction is unique to the South Island/ Queenstown Lakes area due to the local climate and freezing and thawing of the pavement.
- It is important to remember that there will not be significant effects on the state highway for the first 18 months of this programme.
- Night works are limited at the SH6/ 6A Frankton roundabout and surrounding area because the impacts of continuous night works would adversely affect residents and businesses. There are also other constraints such as restricted hours of work and cost that make nightworks impractical. Some short periods of nightwork will be required for specific activities which cannot be completed during the day to keep the traffic moving at the intersection. Adjacent residents, road users and the wider community will be notified and kept up to date with planned night works in advance of these occurring.
- Moving underground utilities (power, water, fibre, and gas) as part of this project forms a large part of the first year of the construction programme. This upgrade work is being done at the same time to avoid further roadworks in the future.
We will give you plenty of notice of upcoming works. As we move into construction you will see team members door knocking, circulating information leaflets, and providing updates on social media and via our e-newsletter. We want to provide you with the most up to date information as quickly as we can, so you can be prepared and plan your travel. We appreciate the works are disruptive, particularly for residents in the area – but in some instances it is unavoidable.
Our crews will be working 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday inclusive. Work outside these hours, including nighttime works, will also be required for specific activities that cannot be completed during the day due to traffic impacts.
Changing the golf club entrance
Moving the entrance further towards the SH6/6A intersection would prevent major, necessary utility service relocations for electricity, stormwater, and fibre. These utilities carry vital services to Queenstown Airport and Jacks Point. Existing utilities must be carefully moved back from the new wider road corridor at the intersection of SH6/6A.
SH6 and 6A Frankton Intersection
The roundabout will become an intersection controlled by traffic signals. The new intersection layout has been designed to manage the needs of everyone who use it.
Traffic signals are better at managing demand compared to roundabouts because they allow vehicles coming from any direction to get a fair amount of time to move through the intersection, rather than traffic coming from one particular direction getting priority. Signals will adjust in real time to manage the flow. This means a smoother flow through the intersection from all directions. Additional lanes will also create some increased capacity.
Signalised pedestrian crossings will be included to make it easier to cross the state highway to get to shops and businesses and there will be on-road cycle lanes and smoother transitions for cyclists from on-road to off-road shared paths. New traffic signals will mean better entry and exit for buses to the upgraded Bus Hub on SH6 Kawarau Road.
During construction, (which comes after the first 12-18 months of underground work) a temporary intersection will be constructed. The current roundabout will be used for the first stage of the construction works and this will be changed to a temporary roundabout and then temporary traffic signals. This will allow the new intersection to be constructed in stages while maintaining traffic flow through the intersection. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to continue to use the area with access to the Events Centre, golf course, and playing fields available and the temporary path will start being built in late April 2024.
Bus Hub
There has been steady growth in public transport use particularly since the $2 fare was introduced in 2018. We are now seeing significant uplift in numbers since tourism has rebounded after the end of the pandemic and the Otago Regional Council is predicting further public transport growth for the coming decade.
The demand for transport in Queenstown keeps growing, but the unique geography means there aren’t many options for increasing the capacity of our roads. The main way we can manage this is by providing ways for the same road space to carry more people and provide more transport choices. For Queenstown, buses will increasingly become a part of the transport picture.
Promoting public transport in collaboration with Otago Regional Council is an action in the QLDC climate and biodiversity plan 2022.
The Bus Hub capacity will be doubled (extending down SH6 Kawarau Road) to cater for this predicted growth. This will mean more room for buses, with increased space for tourism operators and local buses, room for 50 bike parks (some covered and lockable), and new shelters. The golf course side of the Bus Hub will accommodate more buses and pickup for ski bus operators, bus stops will be made larger, and two new larger shelters will be installed.
Other upgrades will include:
- Traffic signals at the entry and exit to the hub to provide more efficient access for buses
- Information and bus ticketing kiosk
- Bus driver facilities
- Provision for ORC real time information
- Shared path connecting to the Bus Hub
- Car drop-off and pick-up stops.
We listened to the concerns neighbours had around noise at the Bus Hub which has resulted in a change in approach for a noise barrier. The barrier will be moved off the boundary of the Bus Hub and be incorporated into the bus shelters as well as being transparent to allow light through.
In total there will be:
- Six bus bays for local public transport on the Bus Hub side, and up to three on the golf course side shared with tourist operators.
- Three tourist operator bus bays in the Bus Hub, one on golf course side, shared with public transport.
- Three pick-up and drop-off spaces.
A shared use path behind the Bus Hub is due to be built in 2026.
The building will include a ticketing and bus information kiosk for local and tourist customers and driver facilities.
New traffic signals outside the Bus Hub mean that buses will be able to enter and exit the Bus Hub more efficiently. This will help improve the reliability of the buses. Buses turning left from SH6 Ladies Mile onto SH6 Kawarau Road will have a priority B-light. This will allow better traffic flow at the intersection.
Joe O’Connell Drive
Joe O’Connell Drive will become a signalised intersection which will be co-ordinated with the new traffic signals replacing the Frankton roundabout. This will make the traffic move smoothly through the area and a right turn lane on SH6 into Joe O’Connell Drive will make that manoeuvre easier.
A three-metre shared use path will be created on the BP side of the state highway. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross at the Joe O’Connell Drive traffic signals.
Access to the cemetery will always be available, but the informal parking in that area will change.
Howards Drive
The proposed Howards Drive roundabout will make this intersection safer. Safety concerns here have seen this T-intersection prioritised because the speed through this area is higher and is currently controlled by a Give Way sign. The roundabout will be similar to those at Stalker Road, Hawthorne Drive and Grant Road roundabouts. Better access to the Ladies Mile Pet Lodge will be provided from the north side of the roundabout.
The roundabout is in line with the QLDC Ladies Mile Masterplan - read more about it here(external link).
Gray/McBride intersection
We are moving gas and fibre. The services sit under the intersection of McBride and Gray Streets, therefore the intersection will be affected for approximately eight months while the team works on this part of the project. The road will always have one traffic lane open, but this will move and change as the project progresses.
Gray Street will become one way from McBride Street to the state highway. This takes out the right turn movements both into and out of Gray Street that can cause a pinch point and create added congestion. Drivers will be asked to reverse park in the five angle parks on Gray Street.
Local residents will be kept informed about the traffic changes by letterbox drop and our team will be visiting and talking to the residents and businesses on McBride Street and at Frankton Village. Parking and pedestrian access for all the businesses in Frankton Village will always be available. There will be signs and directions to make sure people can see that the businesses are open and where to park during construction.
Parking at Frankton Village will change, see below map:
[insert map]
There will also be new reverse parking on Gray Street. Reverse parking is a simple way to reduce your risk of collision. Backing out of a parking space into the road makes it difficult to see pedestrians, objects, and vehicles.
Frankton Golf Centre
The golf course entrance is being moved further south along SH6 Kawarau Road and will be signalised to provide a safer and easier access from the state highway. A new driveway and parking area will be built for the golf course.
The ninth hole of the golf course has already been reconfigured to accommodate the works at the intersection and a new landscaped bund (mound) will be constructed between the golf course and SH6 Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway.
The Frankton Golf Centre land near the state highway will also act as a construction staging area, before becoming part of the new intersection. From the start of construction, the site will have portacabins for an office and toilet block and other facilities for the construction workers. Temporary fencing will be installed around the golf course corner for a significant part of the project. This is to protect and separate the construction area on the golf course corner from traffic and keep the public and golfers safe.
Pathways to the Events Centre and playing fields will be available and the temporary path will start being constructed by 17 April 2024.
The Kawarau Road crossing will remain, and an additional crossing added further up the road. Both crossings will continue to allow walking access to the golf course for players.
NZUP starting while arterials is ongoing
The NZUP SH6/6A Frankton work can start at the same time as the new arterial road is still being constructed because the first phase of the SH6/6A Frankton intersections and Bus Hub improvements work is focussed on digging outside of the state highway to move services and add stormwater piping. This will not have major traffic impacts.
We are actively managing the network impact of both projects and designing the SH6/ 6A work for low traffic impact at the beginning of the work at the Frankton intersection.
NZUP SH6/ 6A intersection work in 2024 is mostly on the golf course. Through autumn and winter 2024, there will be no general traffic disruption at the Frankton SH6/6A roundabout, other than some limited night work.
What you will see happening is a wide and deep trench excavated for a 1.4metre diameter stormwater pipe along the side of golf course and opposite the Bus Hub. This won’t affect with traffic on the road.
Roads affected by the Arterials project will progressively open to public traffic in stages through 2024. In April 2024, upper Suburb Street and Dublin Street will reopen to public traffic. Melbourne Street from Frankton Road will open shortly after.
In spring 2024, we will begin work at the intersection of Gray and McBride Streets. We are undergrounding overhead power lines. We will also be moving gas and fibre. The services sit under the intersection of McBride and Gray Streets, so this intersection will be affected for approximately eight months while the team works on this part of the project. The road will always have one traffic lane open, but this will move and change as the project progresses. There is minimal impact expected on SH6 during this work.
It’s not until spring 2025 that the SH6/ 6A intersection work has any noticeable impact on state highway traffic, with work around the Frankton roundabout starting on SH6 in September-October 2025.
This ensures the traffic impact of The Arterials Project is cleared away, while Frankton work can get started.
