The CBD project is progressing extremely well with 90% of the work now complete so the end is in sight and the town is really starting to open up again.

Set out below is the work programme for the next few weeks.

EAST STREET

Paving the East Street footpaths is well advanced with only the Burnett to Havelock Street block to be completed. This section of the footpath has been prepped and is on the programme for completion by Friday 15 October.

The remaining work in East Street includes completing the footpath area just north of the public toilets by the end of October. This will include an area where the town’s Christmas tree will be placed for the upcoming festive season.

Installation of tree edging around the Oak trees and grassing of the green belt is due to start. This will also enable the completion of the children’s play area.  The last of the garden planting will also be carried out and the remaining seats and litter/recycling bins will be installed.

HAVELOCK STREET

Havelock Street is the last street in the project for major reconstruction.

Tree pits have been installed and the new kerbing and stormwater infrastructure installation is happening this week. This work will be completed by the end of next week, after which the road will be dug out and reconstructed.

To enable a faster road surface reconstruction, Havelock Street will be closed to all through traffic in two stages:

1.  Monday 18 October to Sunday 24 October – closed between East Street and just east of the MSA western carpark entrance (traffic will be able to enter Havelock Street from Cass Street to access the MSA carpark and other associated businesses. Other carparks will need to be accessed via Burnett Street during this one week period).

2.  Tuesday 26 October to Tuesday 2 November – closed between the MSA western carpark entrance and Cass Street (traffic will be able to enter Havelock Street from East Street to access MSA carparking and other associated businesses).

We realise this may cause some inconvenience, but it is necessary to do the road reconstruction in two separate sections to enable businesses to have continued access to their carparks during this period.

The Havelock Street footpaths will then be prepped and finished with paving or asphalt in different areas. A new pedestrian crossing is being installed across the roadway to the new library and civic centre building. Trees and gardens will also be put in place to complete this part of the CBD upgrade.

REMAINDER OF UPGRADE WORK

As with all construction projects, there will be tidy up bits of work around the CBD undertaken once the main construction has been completed.

The concrete footpaths on Cass, Tancred and Burnett Streets are to have decorative cutting work undertaken during the next two weeks. These shallow cuts will ‘break up’ the large concrete slab look and achieve a paved look.

All this finishing work will be undertaken by Tru-Line as they progress to completing the project on their target date of 22 November.