Upper Clutha Safety Improvements Programme

Work on a new roundabout at the intersection of Ballantyne Road and Riverbank Road in Wānaka will provide a safer environment for all road users in the area and enhance connectivity for active travel along a section of Ballantyne Road through to Wastebusters. The project also includes raised safety tables on all lanes leading into the roundabout and upgrades to stormwater management in the area.

What’s the latest?

Friday 15 November 2024

Work’s nearly complete on the new roundabout at Ballantyne Road and Riverbank Road in Wānaka, with crews currently preparing the northbound lane for its first coat of asphalt at the end of next week.

A final coat of asphalt will then be applied to the entire intersection. To complete these works, we’ll need to completely close the intersection of Ballantyne Road and Riverbank Road overnight, on the following dates and times:

• 8.30pm on Sunday 24 November to 6.00am on Monday 25 November
• 8.30pm on Monday 25 November to 6.00am on Tuesday 26 November

More information available below.

Current closure: Southern section of Riverbank Road (Friday 18 October – late November)

Work is underway to prepare and seal the northbound lane of the new roundabout.

Riverbank Road is currently closed to through traffic between Ballantyne Road and Orchard Road. Resident access is available from Orchard Road.

The rest of the intersection at Ballantyne Road and Riverbank Road remains open to one lane of traffic, and stop/go is operating in the area.

Overnight closure to intersection: Sunday 24 November and Monday 25 November

To apply the final coat of asphalt to the entire roundabout, we’ll need to completely close the intersection of Ballantyne Road and Riverbank Road overnight, on the following dates and times:

• 8.30pm on Sunday 24 November to 6.00am on Monday 25 November
• 8.30pm on Monday 25 November to 6.00am on Tuesday 26 November

Completing these works at night under a full closure means we can minimise disruption as much as possible.

These works are weather dependent. In the event these works are delayed, contingency dates and times are:

• 8.30pm on Tuesday 26 November to 6.00am on Wednesday 27 November
• 8.30pm on Wednesday 27 November to 6.00am on Thursday 28 November

Outside of these full closure times, the current stop/go and closure to the southern section of Riverbank Road will remain in place.

Crews will then install guard rails and finish line marking at the intersection from Tuesday 26 November to Friday 29 November.

Completion date

We expect to remove the existing closure on the southern section of Riverbank Road and open the new roundabout to traffic in all directions on Friday 29 November, weather permitting.

This is later than initially planned, with delays to the project’s start date required to align timing and road closures with the nearby upgrade of the Mt Iron intersection, which subsequently resulted in a shutdown over winter.

Delivery of the project was also been delayed by extended wet weather in September.

Work to construct a new roundabout and pedestrian refuge crossing at the intersection of Capell Avenue and Domain Road in Hāwea is now complete.

We’d like to share a big thank you to everyone in the Hāwea community for your patience while we’ve worked to complete the new roundabout and pedestrian refuge island upgrade here.

Work to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Aubrey Road and Anderson Road was completed on Thursday 8 November 2023.

The new roundabout includes a slightly amended road layout, new raised courtesy crossings to provide safe spaces for people walking to cross, and a connection for the soon-to-be-completed shared pathway on Anderson Road.

Work is underway to install over 9,000 metres of new safety barriers on Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road and Cardrona Valley Road, with additional signage, minor earthworks and roadside improvements, road markings, and a range of landscaping and native planting included in the project.

Find out more here.