Pedestrians, cyclists, bus users benefit from Frankton Road work, Queenstown, starting 2 May

The NZ Transport Agency starts some pedestrian, cycling and public transport infrastructure improvements work in Queenstown from Monday 2 May.

The Transport Agency’s Senior Safety Engineer, Roy Johnston, said the improvements on Frankton Road, part of the state highway system, will provide safer and better access from Queenstown Hill to existing and new bus stop facilities, footpaths, cycle paths and the Frankton Track.

The improvements are:

• a new bus stop on the hill side of Frankton Road at Larch Hill Place, along with a pedestrian refuge* to connect to the footpath and cycle path on the lake side of Frankton Road. This part of the work begins first, in the first week of May
• a pedestrian refuge near Perkins Road to provide safer access to and from the Frankton Track, footpath, cycle path and existing bus stop on the lake side of Frankton Road
• a new footpath connecting Hensman and Andrews Road with the existing bus stop opposite the Rees Hotel and a pedestrian refuge across to the lake side of Frankton Road. This work is the first stage of improvements to the Andrews Road intersection which is a collaborative project funded by the Transport Agency and the Queenstown Lakes District Council. The second stage, realignment of the intersection, will be done after winter.

All three locations’ work is costing around $150,000.

“The works are being done by Fulton Hogan and will begin after the school holidays in the first week of May, taking about two months to complete,” said Mr Johnston.

* A pedestrian refuge, also known as a pedestrian island, is normally a raised area within the roadway that provides a place for pedestrians to wait before finishing crossing a road.

Here’s a recently built pedestrian refuge on State Highway 6A, Frankton Road, at Battery Hill: