New infrastructure to connect Eastside community
10 November 2020
Work to create better community connections and support future growth in Rotorua is about to get underway.
As part of wider developments happening in the Eastern suburbs of Rotorua, the shared path network will expand to Vaughan Road over the next 12 months.
Work on the first section of path will begin this month.
Council has been working in partnership with Tatau Pounamu Collective, Eastside hapū and the wider community to develop the Eastside Structure Wellness Plan and what we've heard is that people want safe, connected, sustainable and thriving communities.
Earlier this year Council received Government funding of $20 million for shovel ready projects to support growth in the Eastern suburbs. Of this funding, $5 million was earmarked for upgrades to local roads to encourage more use of alternative transport modes.
Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael says the upgrades to Vaughan Road are all part of a wider plan to create thriving, connected communities and support residential growth.
The work to create new connections along Vaughan Road aligns with the various pieces of work that Council is involved with that focus on the Eastern suburbs of Rotorua.
We already have a significant shared path network that provides more convenient, safer and direct routes for people who need to, or choose to, use alternative transport modes.
The upgrades also align with the aspirations of the community that we have heard through the Homes and Thriving Communities Strategic Framework and the Eastside Structure Wellness Plan. We are taking an integrated approach across these work programmes and we are pleased to be able to deliver the infrastructure that the community has asked for.
Final designs for the full shared path along Vaughan Road are still underway. This means which side of the road, crossing points and side road connections are still to be decided.
In the meantime, Council has identified a small portion of path that can be easily constructed without affecting homes and services.
The first section of the path will start at the culvert crossing near Carrol Place and finish at the Rotorua Forest Haulage site. Work to construct this section will begin in November and take approximately 8 weeks.
Council is working with Eastside hapū, partners Tatau Pounamu Collective, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and the wider community, to ensure any work in the Eastside is timed to minimise disruption to residents as much as possible.
Letters about the upcoming work have been delivered or will be posted to Vaughan Road residents and businesses.
Some of the benefits of a shared path include:
- Connecting communities: shared paths connect neighbourhoods to schools, sports and recreation areas, shopping centres and the inner city.
- Safe caring communities: shared paths and other road features encourage motorists to take more care as they drive in a space that also has pedestrians, bike riders and other users.
- Thriving communities: shared paths make it easier to access friends, work and leisure activities while encouraging physical activity that the whole family can enjoy.
- Supporting residential growth: as residential areas grow so will the amount of traffic on the road. We know from data collected from other shared paths in town that having safer spaces encourages more people to choose alternative modes of transport.
Find out more about Tatau Pounamu Collective at www.tataupounamurotorua.com
Find out more about the Eastside Structure Wellness Plan at https://letstalk.rotorualakescouncil.nz/eastside-structure-wellness-plan
Work programmes guiding work happening in Eastside:
- Eastside Structure Wellness Plan
- Safe and Sustainable Journeys shared path network
- Build Back Better Economic Recovery Plan
- Homes and Thriving Communities Strategic Framework
- Locality planning
- 2018 Spatial Plan
- Eastern Corridor Stage One - upgrades to State Highway 30A/Te Ngae Road
- Innovating streets