Titiraupenga Street upgrade
29 April 2022: Lake Terrace/Tītīraupenga Street intersection closure
It’s been a busy few weeks on the Lake Terrace/Tītīraupenga Street intersection with our contractors making the most of the good weather to prepare to install the new road layout.
Work on the new intersection itself gets underway on Monday and the intersection will be closed for three weeks to ensure the safety of the team and also to make sure we can carry out this upgrade as swiftly as possible.
Thanks for your patience everyone, detours will be in place and the team will be pulling out all the stops to get this work wrapped up.
1 April 2022: Lake Terrace transformation getting underway
With work on the upgrades to intersections on Tītīraupenga Street nearing completion, the focus of the Taupō Town Centre Transformation (TTCT) is now moving to the construction of a new southern gateway at the Lake Terrace and Tītīraupenga Street intersection.
Project manager Izelda Cruz said that while the Roberts Street intersection was yet to be completed the team would be starting on Lake Terrace to get weather-dependent work underway as quickly as possible and while the risk of disruptions to supply chains were reduced.
“The revisions to the Lake Terrace/Tītīraupenga Street intersection will see priority given to traffic turning from Lake Terrace into Tītīraupenga Street and heading north. This is quite a significant piece of work which will see us completely remove and then reinstate the road surface here.
25 February 2022: Final phases of Tītīraupenga Street work ahead
Work gets under way on the Tītīraupenga/Tūwharetoa intersection on Monday 28 February and is estimated to take four weeks to complete, weather dependent. Once construction is finished on this intersection, the contractor will start the Roberts/Tūwharetoa intersection from Monday 28 March. It is estimated that this work will also take four weeks to complete, weather dependent.
The traffic priorities of both the Tūwharetoa and Roberts streets intersections will remain unchanged and they will have new pedestrian refuge islands on each leg of the intersection. No lane closures will be required for this work but please drive with caution around the work site and follow all directions from our team.
Lastly, the Tītīraupenga Street and Lake Terrace intersection will see a change in priority and a restricted right turn out of Northcroft Street onto Tītīraupenga Street. This is the final piece of work needed to complete the revised traffic flow route and it will allow all traffic lights and intersections on Tītīraupenga Street and Spa Road to be synchronised.
The work on the Lake Terrace intersection will take just over 12 weeks to complete and at this stage the programme for this intersection starts late April.
Thank you so much to our community for your continued patience. There continues to be a significant amount of disruption with this work underway, and we appreciate your understanding – the end result will be worth it.
1 February 2022: Change of priority at Tamamutu/Titiraupenga intersection
The new Tamamutu/Titiraupenga intersection is opening tonight to better support through traffic using Titiraupenga Street. Thanks to everyone for their patience while this intersection was closed and to our contractors for a great job.
Traffic on Titiraupenga Street will now have priority at this intersection. Stop signs have been installed on Tamamutu Street along with new pedestrian refuge islands at all four sides of the intersection.
Please drive with caution while we all get used to the new layout which marks another significant milestone of our Taupō Towncentre Transformation Project – and remember that with the new school term underway tomorrow our tamariki will be out and about!
December 22, 2021: Traffic lights are on at the Spa Road/Tītīraupenga Street intersection
The weather has been pretty uncooperative but that hasn’t stopped the team at the Spa Road/Tītīraupenga Street intersection! The new seal is done, the line markings are in place and the lights are up and running, though just like on the te Heuheu intersection, there will be a few days of fine-tuning the timings and synchronization, so please drive with care.
We’d like to thank all the surrounding businesses and residents for their understanding during the construction period and patience during the delays caused by the weather. And we’d also really like to give a big shout out to our contractor for some serious mahi under really difficult conditions. Thanks for the hard yards team, it’s looking great and is another very important piece of the puzzle locked in on our Taupō Town Centre Transformation!
December 10, 2021: All go on Tītīraupenga Street
Work on the final stage of the Tītīraupenga Street upgrade is going well, with the bulk of the resealing work between Scannell Street and Spa Road to be completed in the coming day or two. The top of Tītīraupenga Street will now be closed from the afternoon of Tuesday, 14 December and the resealing on Spa Road will follow, as our contractor is fast-tracking the work here to try and avoid some bad weather predicted for later in the week.
Please drive safely around the work site and follow the guidance of the traffic management team. Once this work is in place, we will be commissioning the new lights on the Spa Road/Tītīraupenga Street intersection and everything will be up and running before Christmas! Just like the te Heuheu Street intersection, there will be an initial period of fine tuning the timings and synchronisation with the lights further down Tītīraupenga Street, so please be patient while our new lights go through their learning curve!
December 3, 2021: Traffic lights project wraps-up
It’s a big thank you to everyone involved in the new lights at the te Heuheu/Titiraupenga intersection. The project is now virtually complete, with just a few minor finishing touches being done in the coming days. The team from our contractor Downer, as well as designers WSP Opus, were on hand recently to share a well-earned cuppa and celebrate the work coming to a close, and project manager Izelda Cruz said with this work site effectively being closed off it was now all hands on deck for the final phase at the top of Titiraupenga Street.
“Thank you to our contractors for some really great work,” Ms Cruz said, “and special thanks to the surrounding businesses for bearing with us during this process. The intersection is now operating really well and is proving a lot safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
“In the coming weeks we will be kicking off the resealing of Titiraupenga Street between Scannell Street and Spa Road, with some road closures in place, so please drive safely everyone, we’re nearly done for the year!”
November 12, 2021: Lights, camera, action!
All the hard work in Tītīraupenga Street comes to fruition next week when the permanent traffic lights are switched on! The new lights at the Tītīraupenga/te Heuheu intersection will go live on Wednesday, 17 November, along with the new set of on-demand lights by Taupō Primary School.
Project manager Izelda Cruz said it has been a big job.
“We’d like to thank all the neighbouring residents and business owners for working with us on this,” she said. “The two sets of lights are linked via radar and are also monitored by cameras.
“For the first few days we’ll have staff on site to make sure things are running smoothly. Our transport engineer Bryson Huxley will also be monitoring the lights from the camera control room and fine-tuning the timing and sequencing over the first few days, so please be patient while this final stage of the project comes together.”
October 14, 2021: Tītīraupenga/Spa Road works to get under way next week
From Monday 18 October, we are expecting work to begin on transforming this intersection and installing traffic lights here. This date is weather permitting. The first stage of this work will begin on the northern side of Spa Road and will involve no access for vehicles in to and out of Opepe Street. During this first stage, which is expected to take four and a half weeks, Spa Road will remain open to traffic but please expect delays and disruption while the work is underway. Once this is complete, the team will then move over to the southern side of Spa Road.
October 11, 2021: Tītīraupenga/te Heu Heu closure extends due to COVID
The nasty weather didn’t stop the team working on the Tītīraupenga/te Heu Heu intersection, but COVID restrictions certainly have. With Hamilton locked down and interrupting our supply chain the team are having to extend the closure of this intersection until Saturday 16 October, despite pulling out all the stops to find a work-around.
Thanks to the affected businesses and residents who have been working with us on this piece of the project, and thanks also to drivers for their patience - hang in there folks, these are trying times for us all but the team are determined to get this over the line and things back to normal as soon as possible!
September 30, 2021: Titīraupenga Street upgrade picks up pace
The Te Heu Heu/Titīraupenga Streets intersection will be closed next week to speed up work on the Taupō Town Centre Transformation upgrade. The work was originally scheduled to be carried out under a stop/go road closure, but following consultation with nearby businesses and residents, it has been decided to fully close the intersection from Monday 4 October to Sunday 10 October. Detours will run along Ruapehu Street, Tūwharetoa Street, Tamamutu Street, and Kaimanawa Street.
August 13, 2021: Looking forward to safer streets
The Taupō Town Centre Transformation project is bringing some exciting changes to our town, including safer pedestrian and cycling access for Taupō Primary School.
The creation of a pedestrian mall on Horomatangi Street, a signalised pedestrian crossing on Titiraupenga Street, as well as additional pedestrian islands surrounding the school environment will all add to safer access points for school children.
July 26, 2021: Titiraupenga Street upgrade moves to te Heuheu Street
Construction works will move from Horomatangi Street to te Heuheu Street on Monday, August 2, to begin the upgrade of this next intersection.
This upgrade includes the addition of traffic lights to support the change in priority along this stretch of road. There will also be significantly improved pedestrian and cycling access on all four corners of the intersection. Once complete, traffic travelling along Titiraupenga Street will have priority.
Construction here will include each corner of the intersection upgraded consecutively, starting on the north-east (park side) and moving clockwise from there. Each corner is expected to take six days to complete, weather permitting with basic traffic management allowing the intersection to be open at all times.
Once this is complete, there will then be a seven-day full intersection road closure to allow for the pavement laying to take place. In total, we are expecting this to take five weeks to complete, all going to plan.
June 25, 2021: Horomatangi Street intersection next up for transformation
With work on the Paora Hapi / Titiraupenga Street intersection nearly complete, our Downer team are now relocating to the Horomatangi Street intersection for the next stage of the Taupō Town Centre Transformation.
Project manager Izelda Cruz said the work was going very well despite the weather not coming to the party, and thanked drivers for their patience. “Our contractors are doing a great job and so is the community – drivers and pedestrians alike have been really understanding, and the finished results look great,” she said.
May 14, 2021
We are expecting the Scannell Street changes to be completed by mid-next week. From there, you will see the team move to Paora Hapi Street where they will be improving pedestrian safety by adding refuge islands to all four legs of the intersection. This work is expected to take four and a half weeks to complete, weather permitting. The aim of this work is to encourage through-traffic to utilise Titiraupenga Street and Spa Road, instead of Lake Terrace and Tongariro Street. This will allow us to transform our town centre to put people first and create better connections with the surrounding environment.
The works are being undertaken by Downer with some road closures at this intersection required as part of this work. We will be ensuring access for residents and businesses at all times but please follow signage and detours in place when in the area.
April 7, 2021: Town centre transformation reaches next phase
An important phase in the transformation of the Taupō town centre will get underway this month, with the upgrade of Titiraupenga St set to begin from Monday, April 12.
This phase will involve upgrading the intersections along Titiraupenga St to change the flow of traffic, with priority given to traffic traveling along Titiraupenga St.
