Lakeside Drive will be closed to regular two-way traffic for six months from 7:00am this Friday morning (February 26) until 6:00pm on August 8. 

The road will be open only to one-way north-bound traffic from Ardmore Street through to Beacon Point Road for the duration and the speed limit will be reduced to 30kph.

The closure affects all south-bound traffic travelling from just beyond Lakeside Drive’s intersection with Beacon Point Road through to its intersection at the roundabout with Ardmore Street (opposite the Lake Wānaka Centre).

Southbound traffic aiming for Ardmore Street and the town centre will detour onto Lismore and Hedditch Streets.

Access to homes will be via the northern route but homes at the Yacht Club end of Lakeside Drive will be able to access their property from the south as well. IMAGE: QLDC

Pedestrian and cycle access along Lakeside Road will be maintained throughout the project and access to the natural spring waters will continue, but nearby parking will be limited.

The partial road closure is due to work on stage three of Wanaka’s Lakefront Development Plan from the Bullock Creek bridge beside the Dinosaur Park through to the marina. 

Work on stage three, involving kerb and channeling and footpath changes, will affect continuous footpath access and pedestrians at some points will encroach on the current road (in the closed lane). 

An artist’s concept drawing of the planned boardwalk. IMAGE: QLDC

As a result, the road will not be reopened to two-way traffic during weekends and public holidays (Easter), QLDC spokesperson Jack Barlow said. 

Stage three, which began in the first week of February, includes a shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, restoration and development of native vegetation, and a boardwalk alongside the lake.

The project was originally estimated to take only three to four months but has been expanded to six months to account for the method required to meet the environmental conditions of the consents, Jack said.

“The contractor [Blakely Construction] has had to stagger work on different features of the site, resulting in delaying construction of the boardwalk until after April to avoid any disturbance to nesting and breeding grebes in the area.” 

“Environmental protection methods also need to be in place during the project, with the utilisation of silt curtains and sediment pumps, netting for capturing debris and scaffolding platforms, all aimed at protecting the lakefront,” he said.

The total budget for stage three of the Lakefront Development Plan, including active travel funding, is $3.7 million.