Further progress is being made on the much-anticipated Schools to Pool active travel route linking children, families and commuters between Wānaka schools and the Recreation Centre.

QLDC General Manager Property & Infrastructure, Tony Avery said tenders are now invited from potential contractors to deliver stages 2 and 3 of the project.

“With the signalised crossings on Aubrey Road and Ballantyne Road now operational, our next stages of work include the construction of pathway running from Kelly’s Flat Recreation Reserve near Aubrey Road up to Wānaka Primary School and Mount Aspiring College,” said Mr Avery. “The pathway will then continue through Lismore Park to link with Hedditch Street.”

The Schools to Pool upgrades will create and encourage the use of shared, safer spaces for pedestrians, cyclists, and micro-mobility device users.

Once complete, the three-metre-wide pathway will help contribute to walkable neighbourhoods that promote safer, greener and healthier school travel for children in and around Wānaka.

Mr Avery added that the project was focused on making small changes to Wānaka’s streets and the way they’re used, making it easier for people to embrace cycling or walking as a means of travel.

“By making more safe, well-designed active travel options available, we can encourage more people to choose walking and cycling as ways to get around, which will help reduce emissions and create a lasting success for Wānaka’s community.”

Additional work will be undertaken as part of the project, including:

• A raised safety platform and pedestrian refuge island installed on Plantation Road
• A raised safety platform installed on Hedditch Street
• Traffic calming exercises on Rata Street, with four raised platforms to be added on the street to slow traffic and upgrades to its intersection with Aubrey Road.

The tender for Stage 2 and 3 of the Schools to Pool project is expected to be awarded in August 2023, with construction expected to begin in early September.

Access will be maintained for most if not all residents and businesses living near construction of the route, but QLDC will contact those likely to be affected by these works well in advance.

This project is funded by the Transport Choices package, part of the Waka Kotahi Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) programme, which aims to demonstrate what’s possible for communities nationwide by quickly providing people with healthier, more affordable, and safer transport choices that are good for us, and for the environment.

© Scoop Media