The resolution to the troublesome and busy intersection of Ballantyne Road and Golf Course Road is at least three years away, as is the ‘schools-to-pool’ cycle/walkway and a pedestrian crossing of Ballantyne Road to accommodate golfers and other users.

Last week, Wānaka Community Board (WCB) members were given an update by council staff of projects in the Low Cost Low Risk (LCLR) programme, which includes funding for the three related projects.

Queenstown Lakes District Council media spokesperson Sam White said construction of all three projects is expected to begin in the next financial year (after July 1, 2022) and won’t be completed until the end of June 2024.

The schools-to-pool shared path, from Aubrey Road to the Wānaka Recreation Centre, was identified as a priority in a 2017 public meeting and ratepayer funding for it has been identified since 2018.

Sam said the Ballantyne Road/Golf Course Road intersection was being considered in the context of the schools-to-pool project and a key factor in the final design of the upgraded intersection includes connecting the schools-to-pool pathway from SH84 at Hedditch Street to the intersection.

Safety concerns regarding the public crossing point on Ballantyne Road between the Golf Club’s front nine and back nine holes remain unresolved.

Council has been grappling with the problematic Golf Course Road-Ballantyne Road intersection for a while and designs for slip-lanes for turning traffic to ease congestion were drawn up by council consultants (WSP) earlier this year.

The Wānaka Golf Club (WGC) has also been petitioning the council for years for an improved safe crossing point for its 1000 members and other users; with the vastly increased traffic count on Ballantyne Road in recent years, the current crossing point near the intersection is no longer considered safe.

In response to the club’s safety concerns the council said it was considering introducing “a signalised crossing” (like the pedestrian light on Frankton Road near the Queenstown airport) for pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross Ballantyne Road.

The Wānaka App asked council if either the slip-lanes or the signalised crossing were still on the table but the council declined to respond directly.

Instead, Sam said a number of options for the intersection upgrade were discussed but council is considering “a long-term, single solution to alleviate congestion and suit all users – pedestrians, cyclists and drivers – as opposed to short-term, interim measures”.

He said council staff are working through the land requirements for the intersection upgrade but wouldn’t confirm if that upgrade included a roundabout with a fourth leg providing direct access into Three Parks.

The council will “be sharing more information with the community when the project is further down the track”, he said.

“The key focus at the moment is working through land requirements. This is critical in refining the options available… [and] there are a lot of different factors to consider before we’re in a position to share specific details about the intersection itself.”

The LCLR programme has approximately $16 million in the ‘road to zero’ funding category, within which there’s a budget line of $400,000 for the Ballantyne Road/Golf Course Road intersection, Sam said. 

The schools-to-pool project is a separate item within the LCLR budget with funding of $5M.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App