Wānaka may eventually have four more traffic roundabouts if proposals by elected members are approved and funded.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff will present plans for two more Wānaka roundabouts at the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) meeting today (Thursday July 27).

The two roundabouts are mooted for the intersections of Aubrey and Anderson Roads, and Golf Course and Ballantyne Roads.

“These roundabouts are on the WUCCB list of projects we would like to get done and will be pushing to get them into the next Long Term Plan and Annual Plan,” councillor Lyal Cocks told the Wānaka App.

The other two roundabouts proposed are for the intersection of Brownston and McDougall Streets, and Anderson Road and Link Way.

The busy intersection of Aubrey and Anderson Roads. 

Lyal said these latter two would be subject to funding by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. 

“I would like to see this work done earlier but as the funding is subject to the Waka Kotahi it takes longer,” he said. 

The possibility of a roundabout for Brownston/McDougall Streets has been discussed for years, and a temporary roundabout was successfully trialled there in 2019, using cones bolted to the road.

Early last year the then Wānaka Community Board requested two temporary roundabouts on Brownston Street (at its McDougall and Dungarvon Streets intersections) to manage traffic during a temporary closure of lower Ardmore Street.

That request was declined by QLDC, and staff later disputed that there had been a roundabout trial in 2019.

Read more: ‘Huge opportunity lost’ - temporary roundabouts will not proceed

Progress has now been made on plans for a permanent roundabout for the intersection, which has long wait times at certain parts of the day - particularly during ski season.

The Anderson and Aubrey Roads roundabout proposal will help address wait times at another busy intersection. 

The intersection has also been compromised by frequent surface flooding, and QLDC recently released plans for an underground drainage system there, in partnership with the developer of a new residential site on the south-east corner of the intersection.

Read more: Joint plan to address Anderson Road flooding

QLDC declined to comment on progress on the various proposals until after a WUCCB workshop taking place later today.

The WUCCB meeting will take place at the Lake Wānaka Centre this morning from 10am.