Queenstown Town Centre Arterial Road

The Queenstown Town Centre Arterial is a key enabling project for the Queenstown Town Centre.  Stage 1 will link Melbourne and Henry Streets, removing general traffic from Stanley Street and unlocking a range of other investments that will vastly improve the town centre experience for locals and visitors.  

The need to look at an alternative roading solution to address traffic and congestion in the town centre has been identified in a number of strategies and studies since the early 2000s including the 2005 FutureLinks Transport and Parking Strategy, 2008 and 2014 Inner Links Study and 2017 Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan Town Centre Arterials indicative business case.  All of these strategies and studies have been subject to community engagement, highlighting that this is a project that already has a reasonably high profile across the district.  

The full route is made up of three stages:

• Stage 1: Melbourne / Henry Street (construction underway)

• Stage 2: Gorge Road to Hay Street

• Stage 3: Hay Street to One Mile Roundabout

The project was granted consent under the new COVID-19 (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.   Full details of this process, including the decision and associated reports, can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority website:  www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/listed-projects/queenstown-arterials-project/ 

Stage 1 is jointly funded by the Government's shovel ready fund ($50m) and QLDC.

Stage 2 and 3 of the Arterial Road is not currently funded for construction.

The recently adopted Long Term Plan 2024-2034 allocates funding for stages 2 and 3 from year six (2029-2030).

If you have any questions about stages 2 and 3, please contact our Transport Strategy Manager, Tony Pickard via email: tony.pickard@qldc.govt.nz

A project to build an Arterial Road around the Queenstown Town Centre has been under discussion since the early 2000s when Council released the FutureLinks Strategy for community engagement. 

Since  then it has been part of various transport strategies and most recently part of the Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan and a detailed business case for transport improvements all the way from Ladies Mile, through Frankton  and into and around Queenstown Town Centre.  

View the Council's existing transport strategies here

View information about the Frankton to Queenstown detailed business case here

The full recommended Town Centre Arterial route is not without its challenges.   

Stage 2 will involve the demolition of the existing Queenstown Memorial Centre facility.

The Memorial Centre is part of the fabric of the performing arts and returned services community and the Council is committed to proactively working together on a solution for a replacement facility.  

It is currently a proposed condition of the designation that the Memorial Centre cannot be demolished (effectively Stage 2 of the road cannot be constructed) until Council has, through its Ten Year Plan process, and after further consultation with users, confirmed a timeframe, funding and programme for the construction of new facilities.

The Council will be engaging with existing users of the facilities soon.   

A Community Liaison Group (CLG) was established for Stage 1 of the Queenstown Town Centre Arterial project, with all owners and occupiers of land on or adjacent to the designated route invited to join.

The group meets monthly to discuss the upcoming work programme, talk through any concerns as work progresses and to help the construction team understand community sentiment.  

QLDC began the process to establish a further CLG for stages 2 and 3 of  the project but has since temporarily put this on hold until funding to progress the project becomes available. 

The recently adopted Long Term Plan 2024-2034 allocates funding for stages 2 and 3 from year six (2029-2030). Therefore it is more appropriate to establish the CLG once progress is underway again, to support good communication and timely engagement with affected property owners and occupiers. 

There’s lots of work coming up as we get closer to completing the Town Centre Arterial Road project.

Fitting together all the final stages is a bit like solving a big puzzle, and we want to make sure you’re kept up to date as this work progresses. To help with this, we will now be providing weekly updates every Friday, outlining what’s planned for the week ahead.  

These are sent to our database, and published below: 

Weekly update: 29 November 2024

Weekly update: 21 November 2024

Weekly update: 15 November 2024

Weekly update: 8 November 2024

Weekly update: 1 November 2024

We're providing monthly updates for the remainder of the works. Stay up-to-date below: 

• October 2024 Update

• September 2024 Update

• August 2024 Update

• July 2024 Update

• June 2024 Update

• May 2024 Update

We’re boosting the resilience of Queenstown’s stormwater network by replacing approximately 90m of stormwater pipe along lower Ballarat Street, between the Village Green and Stanley Street.

From Monday 14 October through to Friday 20 December 2024, temporary changes are required to the road layout and access in this area, and will include:

Highway access:

Stanley Street (SH6A) remains two-lanes, however there will be one-way access only into lower Ballarat Street. Two lane access will be available during Queenstown Marathon weekend, Saturday 16 November.

No access to/form Athol Street from Ballarat Street:

Resident and business access will be maintained. Entry into Athol Street for businesses and the KFC drive-through will be available from Shotover Street.

Pedestrian acess:

You’ll still be able to walk around Athol and Lower Ballarat Street to access businesses, although there may be adjustments during the works. This will be clearly signposted.

Coach stops on Athol Street will be relocated to Stanley Street:

There is not enough space for coaches to turn around on Athol Street so the safest and most efficient option is to relocate these onto Stanley Street.

Other disruption includes noise and vibration:

We will be monitoring noise and installing sound mats on perimeter fencing where required.

Check out the video outlining the upcoming works or click here for a map of how access to lower Ballarat Street and Athol Street will be affected.

Gorge Road will be closed between the Stanley Street and Weaver Street intersections from Monday 18 November.

This closure is to allow for crews to safely complete island installations and lay the final asphalt on the arterial road. Crews will also take this opportunity to construct a crossing on Turner Street, and finish work to rebuild the road and footpaths on Henry Street too.

A detour will be in place via Robins Road throughout the duration of work. Resident and business access will also be maintained (one way access only, see map below).

The road will reopen on Friday 20 December, ahead of the Christmas holidays. Thank you for your understanding

Teams are working through a number of side streets constructing new walls and upgrading underground services. Due to the amount of heavy machinery and grade of these streets, it is deemed a significant health and safety risk to keep the road and pedestrian footpaths open on Beetham, Ballarat and Malaghan Street.

As a result of this we will be closing the roads and footpaths as stated below.

Road and pedestrian footpath closures:

• Beetham Street – currently closed till January 2025

• Upper Ballarat Street – currently closed till January 2025

• Malaghan Street – currently closed till January 2025

Alternate pedestrian routes:

• Turner Street (accessible by steps from Hallenstein St)

• Sydney Street

• Weaver Street

Resident access will be maintained at all times, but some delays are possible when entering and exiting your property in a vehicle. Pedestrian and emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.

We'll keep you updated on when pedestrian access can be restored.  

From Monday 27 February 2023, Ballarat Street will be closed to through traffic between Henry Street and Hallenstein Street. This is a permanent change to allow for the new link between Melbourne and Henry Street to be built, ultimately forming the stage 1 of the Town Centre Arterial Road. 

This shows the full Queenstown Centre Arterial Road in the context of the wider Town Centre works underway.

   >>  Download the plan here 

These are the preliminary design drawings for all three stages of the Town Centre Arterial.    Any feedback received from affected people will be considered as we move to detailed design.

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #1

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #2

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #3

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #4

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #5

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #6

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #7

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #8

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #9

The Queenstown Town Centre Arterial Road is a key enabling project for the Queenstown Town Centre.  Stage 1 will link Melbourne and Henry Streets, removing general traffic from Stanley Street and unlocking a range of other investments that will vastly improve the town centre experience for locals and visitors. 

The full route is made up of three stages:

• Stage 1: Melbourne / Henry Street (construction began 27 September 2021)
• Stage 2: Gorge Road to Hay Street
• Stage 3: Hay Street to One Mile Roundabout

The project was granted consent under the COVID-19 (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.   Full details of this process, including the decision and associated reports, can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority website:  www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/listed-projects/queenstown-arterials-project/

Stage 1 of the Arterial will deliver the following elements:

• A significant upgrade to the underground services along the Arterial route and adjoining streets – so that means new water, wastewater and stormwater lines for a section of Frankton Road and parts of the following streets:
  • Melbourne Street
  • Henry Street
  • Sydney Street
  • Beetham Street
  • Ballarat Street
  • Suburb Street
• Undergrounded power along Melbourne and Henry Streets
• Wider footpaths with new street trees along Melbourne and Henry Street
• Intersections controlled by traffic lights at the following locations:
  • Frankton Road and Melbourne Street
  • Sydney Street and Melbourne Street
  • Henry Street and Gorge Road
• Retaining walls, some with art work designed by Mana Whenua artists, that share the stories of the Whakatipu region.

The need to look at an alternative roading solution to address traffic and congestion in the town centre has been identified in a number of strategies and studies since the early 2000s including the 2005 FutureLinks Transport and Parking Strategy, 2008 and 2014 Inner Links Study and 2017 Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan Town Centre Arterials indicative business case.  All of these strategies and studies have been subject to community engagement, highlighting that this is a project that already has a reasonably high profile across the district. 

The budget for the design and construction of Stage 1 of the Arterial is $128.02m.

The New Zealand Government, via Crown Infrastructure Partners, is contributing $50 million.

The project is being delivered by Kā Huanui a Tāhuna, an alliance formed by QLDC and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, along with two construction companies and two design companies, Downer NZ, Fulton Hogan, Beca and WSP.

We are planning to have Stage 1 of the Arterial open at the end of January 2025. There will be some further construction work required at the intersection of Ballarat and Stanley Street in 2025, this work can not be started until the arterial road is open.  

The alignment of the Arterial goes through a neighbourhood that is entirely residential properties or visitor accommodation – places that people sleep.  QLDC’s district plan includes hours of work and maximum noise limits that are compatible with people sleeping and enjoying respite from construction activity.  The Arterial construction crew will work within these specified hours and noise limits. 

Stage 1 of the Arterial connects into Queenstown’s road network at two busy intersections – Frankton Road/Melbourne Street and Henry Street/Gorge Road.  Both of these intersections will be completely rebuilt and traffic lights will be installed. 

There be a lot of visible disruption while each of these intersections are under construction until late 2024.  

For the Frankton Road/Melbourne Street intersection you can expect lots of cones and barriers and the speed limit will be reduced to 30km per hour past the worksite.  

Please allow extra time for journeys that take you through these parts of town.

There will also be localised traffic disruption experienced by people at various times on all the other roads that form, or are connected to the Arterial.

Temporary changes to vehicle access are likely to be the most disruptive thing that you will experience.  Unfortunately, when new underground services are being laid, there will be times when getting your car in and out of your driveway won’t be possible.  We’ll keep that time as short as possible, but please bear with us.

Some streets will be closed to through-traffic from time to time – so you may not be able to take your usual route.

Construction is quite noisy.  The district plan sets noise limits and we’ll be monitoring our noise levels regularly to make sure we’re working within those limits.  Work will mostly be completed between 7.30am and 6.00pm, Monday – Friday, and 7.30am-2.00pm on Saturdays.

We’ll be building some large retaining walls that will use large piling rigs to get the piles in.  This may cause some vibration that you feel inside your home.  We will be monitoring vibration levels and do not anticipate any damage to buildings or properties.

We’ll make sure your rubbish bins can be emptied each week – pop them out in the usual spot and we’ll move them to a spot where the trucks can empty them – and bring your empty bin back to where you left it.

At times during construction, car parking spaces on the streets below will be unavailable.  We will stay in touch with local residents and accommodation providers when there are temporary changes to on-street parking spaces along these streets:

• Melbourne Street
• Suburb Street
• Sydney Street
• Beetham Street
• Ballarat Street
• Henry Street

When Stage 1 of the Arterial is complete, the number and location of parking spaces on the following streets will be similar to before the project began:

• Suburb Street
• Sydney Street
• Beetham Street
• Ballarat Street

Most of the parking spaces on Melbourne Street and Henry Street will be removed. 

The full recommended Town Centre Arterial route is not without its challenges.  

Stage 2 will involve the demolition of the existing Queenstown Memorial Centre facility.

The Memorial Centre is part of the fabric of the performing arts and returned services community and the Council is committed to proactively working together on a solution for a replacement facility. 

It is a condition of the designation that the Memorial Centre cannot be demolished (effectively Stage 2 of the road cannot be constructed) until Council has, through its Ten Year Plan process, and after further consultation with users, confirmed a timeframe, funding and programme for the construction of new facilities.

The Council plans to engage with existing users of the facilities in the future.

There is a key interface between the Arterial Road and the Frankton Intersection and Bus Hub Improvement Project at the intersection of Frankton Road and Melbourne Street. 

This intersection will become controlled by traffic lights to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.  It will also include measures to prioritise public transport.  The Frankton Intersection and Bus Hub Improvement Project will apply the same principles to a number of intersections along SH6/6A.

From early-March 2022 until late 2024 the kiss and drop parking spaces for St Joseph’s School will be located on Hallenstein Street – please see the map below.  Once the Arterial Road is completed, the kiss and drop spaces will be relocated to their original spot on Beetham Street.

During construction of the Arterial Road, there will be quite a lot of disruption around St Joseph’s church.  We will stay in touch with the parish regarding the best place for parishioners and others attending church services to park.  Once construction is complete, dedicated parking spaces for St Joseph’s church visitors will be available on Melbourne Street.

Queenstown Hill will still be well-connected to the town centre – every street between the two areas will still be connected for pedestrians, so you can continue to take your normal route. 

During construction there may be temporary footpath closures that mean you’ll need to cross to the other side of the street – but there will still be a simple route into town and back.

The Arterial will be a local road.

40km per hour.  The same as other urban roads around Whakatipu.

No, vehicles or loads that are over-dimension will still useState Highway 6A, along Shotover Street and Stanley Street through Queenstown’s town centre.

Please contact Anita Sanghera, the Lead Stakeholder and Engagement Manager for Kā Huanui a Tāhuna. 

Phone 021 376 130, or email:
anita.sanghera@wtpa.co.nz 

If Anita can’t answer your questions, she'll put you in touch with someone who can.