Lake Terrace work site blessed

A blessing has been held to mark the removal of an oak tree at the Lake Terrace/ Tītīraupenga Street intersection and to ensure the safety of all those working around the site.

The revisions to the intersection, as part of the Taupō Town Centre Transformation project, will see priority given to traffic turning from Lake Terrace into Tītīraupenga Street and heading north, and as construction around the new intersection would impact the root system of the nearby oak tree it was decided to remove it before it became unsafe.

While the tree is being removed tomorrow (Wednesday 13 April) weather permitting, the intersection of Lake Terrace and Tītīraupenga Street will be closed to traffic for the day. Detours will be in place, please follow the directions of our traffic management team.

Our project team put in a great deal of time and effort to try and come up with a design that would allow the oak tree to remain – just as they managed to achieve work-arounds that meant the trees on Tītīraupenga Street could remain – but due to the extensive roots system and the proximity of the new road layout this has not been possible.

The timber from the oak tree will be dried and used to create outdoor furniture to be used in parks and around the central business district.