Part of Ardmore Street adjacent to Pembroke Park will be closed for the next six months as the construction of stage two of Wānaka’s lakefront development plan (LDP) proceeds.

An application to temporarily close the road, from April 11 until September 30, was approved by the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) in yesterday’s (March 31) board meeting with the condition that temporary roundabouts at two key intersections, where traffic congestion was anticipated, be investigated.

The road’s closure means all traffic using Mt Aspiring Road, including ski traffic to Treble Cone, will travel either through Meadowstone or along Brownston and McDougall Streets.

Unlike Golf Course Road, which currently is partially closed with traffic diverted onto Brownston Street, the council has decided to fully close this portion of Ardmore Street, from Dungarvon to McDougall, stating “significant project benefits” will be achieved by the full closure.

Creating a mountable roundabout at this busy intersection between Brownston and Dungarvon Streets is being investigated. PHOTO: Wānaka App

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) media spokesperson Sam White said a partial closure of Ardmore Street would result in the project taking longer and costing more. 

“The work required to do [stage two] most efficiently means we need access to the whole of Ardmore Street,” he said. 

“The key advantages of this include making the most of pre-winter weather conditions, a shorter period of disruption for businesses and the community, and significant cost savings.”

Elected members raised concerns about traffic congestion, particularly at Brownston Street intersections with McDougall and Dungarvon Streets and requested that two temporary, mountable roundabouts be implemented to ease the congestion.

WCB member Ed Taylor said those key intersections already posed “a tricky situation” and the road closure would cause additional disruption but he believed the implementation of roundabouts would be a good way of “selling” the road closure to the public.

The plan of the southern end of stage two indicates shared paths, car parking and the location of the new Millennium tiles. IMAGE: Supplied

“We’re taking the opportunity [presented by the road closure] to put in these two temporary mountable roundabouts which we think could be a long term solution for issues along that section of the road,” he said. 

QLDC staff confirmed they would investigate the feasibility of the roundabouts.

WCB member Chris Hadfield told the Wānaka App he had faith in the council staff: “If the roundabouts can be done, I know they will do it as it'll make their life easier because we won't be going back and saying, we need to fix this or change this.…” 

A budget of $4.1M has been allocated for stage two of the LDP which includes an expansion of Wānaka’s active travel network with more shared pathways and 110 angle carparks on the foreshore side of Ardmore Street. 

New Millennium pathway tiles will be displayed beside the shared paths. 

While Ardmore Street is closed, the informal, rough gravel track along the lakefront of Roys Bay Recreation Reserve will be kept open during construction for active travel commuters and recreational users. 

Sam said the project is expected to take five months.