Queenstown Town Centre Arterial Road

The Queenstown Town Centre Arterial is a key enabling project for the Queenstown Town Centre.  Stage 1 will link Melbourne and Henry Streets, removing general traffic from Stanley Street and unlocking a range of other investments that will vastly improve the town centre experience for locals and visitors.  

The need to look at an alternative roading solution to address traffic and congestion in the town centre has been identified in a number of strategies and studies since the early 2000s including the 2005 FutureLinks Transport and Parking Strategy, 2008 and 2014 Inner Links Study and 2017 Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan Town Centre Arterials indicative business case.  All of these strategies and studies have been subject to community engagement, highlighting that this is a project that already has a reasonably high profile across the district.  

The full route is made up of three stages:

• Stage 1: Melbourne / Henry Street (construction underway)

• Stage 2: Gorge Road to Hay Street

• Stage 3: Hay Street to One Mile Roundabout

The project was granted consent under the new COVID-19 (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.   Full details of this process, including the decision and associated reports, can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority website:  www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/listed-projects/queenstown-arterials-project/ 

Stage 1 is jointly funded by the Government's shovel ready fund ($50m) and QLDC.

This part of the project is not currently funded for construction.

A Community Liaison Group has been set up and will meet for the first time soon. The purpose of this group is to share updates and invite feedback as we progress detailed design for stages 2 and 3 of the new road.  

Stage 2 – Gorge Road to Hay Street: Further work on the design is underway, including a focus on providing an active travel connection down Man Street.   

Stage 3 – Hay Street to One Mile: Works associated with the Lakeview project (Hay Street to Glasgow Street) have been progressed into construction.  

Further design work for Glasgow Street down to and including a new roundabout at One Mile will be considered early next year. 

If you have any questions about stages 2 and 3 of the Town Centre Arterial Road, please contact our Transport Strategy Manager, Tony Pickard via email: tony.pickard@qldc.govt.nz

A project to build an Arterial Road around the Queenstown Town Centre has been under discussion since the early 2000s when Council released the FutureLinks Strategy for community engagement. 

Since  then it has been part of various transport strategies and most recently part of the Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan and a detailed business case for transport improvements all the way from Ladies Mile, through Frankton  and into and around Queenstown Town Centre.  

View the Council's existing transport strategies here

View information about the Frankton to Queenstown detailed business case here

The full recommended Town Centre Arterial route is not without its challenges.   

Stage 2 will involve the demolition of the existing Queenstown Memorial Centre facility.

The Memorial Centre is part of the fabric of the performing arts and returned services community and the Council is committed to proactively working together on a solution for a replacement facility.  

It is currently a proposed condition of the designation that the Memorial Centre cannot be demolished (effectively Stage 2 of the road cannot be constructed) until Council has, through its Ten Year Plan process, and after further consultation with users, confirmed a timeframe, funding and programme for the construction of new facilities.

The Council will be engaging with existing users of the facilities soon.   

From Monday 27 February 2023, Ballarat Street will be closed to through traffic. This is a permanent change to allow for the new link between Melbourne and Henry Street to be built, ultimately forming the stage 1 of the Town Centre Arterial Road. 

Teams are working through a number of side streets constructing new walls and upgrading underground services. Due to the amount of heavy machinery and grade of these streets, it is deemed a significant health and safety risk to keep the road and pedestrian footpaths open on Beetham, Ballarat and Malaghan Street.

As a result of this we will be closing the roads and footpaths as stated below.

Road and pedestrian footpath closures:

• Beetham Street – currently closed till May 2024

• Upper Ballarat Street – currently closed till September 2024

• Malaghan Street – currently closed till September 2024

Alternate pedestrian routes:

• Turner Street (accessible by steps from Hallenstein St)

• Sydney Street

• Weaver Street

Resident access will be maintained at all times, but some delays are possible when entering and exiting your property in a vehicle. Pedestrian and emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.

We'll keep you updated on when pedestrian access can be restored.  

Significant upgrades to underground services at the gateway to the new road are 90% complete.  

This means the construction crew can now swap traffic over to the other side of Frankton Road to complete the final service upgrades in this area.  

Swapping the traffic to the other side of Frankton Road means we can partially reopen upper Suburb Street and Dublin Street to traffic. It does mean lower Suburb Street will need to close until September 2024. 

The map below illustrates the road layout in this area:

If you travel into town regularly you can expect:

• Two lane traffic is maintained but the lanes will be narrow

• Speed limit reduced to 30km/hr

• Intersection closures

• Changes to bus stop locations

• Access for walking and cycling maintained

Please take care in this area – slow down, stay alert and follow all signage in place.

We know these disruptions can be challenging and we’re grateful for the support, patience and open dialogue so far. The construction underway is significant but please remember it won’t last forever and will be worth it.

This shows the full Queenstown Centre Arterial Road in the context of the wider Town Centre works underway.

   >>  Download the plan here 

These are the preliminary design drawings for all three stages of the Town Centre Arterial.    Any feedback received from affected people will be considered as we move to detailed design.

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #1

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #2

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #3

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #4

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #5

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #6

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #7

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #8

Preliminary Design and Designation Boundary plans  #9

The Queenstown Town Centre Arterial Road is a key enabling project for the Queenstown Town Centre.  Stage 1 will link Melbourne and Henry Streets, removing general traffic from Stanley Street and unlocking a range of other investments that will vastly improve the town centre experience for locals and visitors. 

The full route is made up of three stages:

• Stage 1: Melbourne / Henry Street (construction began 27 September 2021)
• Stage 2: Gorge Road to Hay Street
• Stage 3: Hay Street to One Mile Roundabout

The project was granted consent under the COVID-19 (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.   Full details of this process, including the decision and associated reports, can be found on the Environmental Protection Authority website:  www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/listed-projects/queenstown-arterials-project/

Stage 1 of the Arterial will deliver the following elements:

• A significant upgrade to the underground services along the Arterial route and adjoining streets – so that means new water, wastewater and stormwater lines for a section of Frankton Road and parts of the following streets:
  • Melbourne Street
  • Henry Street
  • Sydney Street
  • Beetham Street
  • Ballarat Street
  • Suburb Street
• Undergrounded power along Melbourne and Henry Streets
• Wider footpaths with new street trees along Melbourne and Henry Street
• Intersections controlled by traffic lights at the following locations:
  • Frankton Road and Melbourne Street
  • Sydney Street and Melbourne Street
  • Henry Street and Gorge Road
• Retaining walls, some with art work designed by Mana Whenua artists, that share the stories of the Whakatipu region.

The need to look at an alternative roading solution to address traffic and congestion in the town centre has been identified in a number of strategies and studies since the early 2000s including the 2005 FutureLinks Transport and Parking Strategy, 2008 and 2014 Inner Links Study and 2017 Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan Town Centre Arterials indicative business case.  All of these strategies and studies have been subject to community engagement, highlighting that this is a project that already has a reasonably high profile across the district. 

The budget for the design and construction of Stage 1 of the Arterial is $128.02m.

The New Zealand Government, via Crown Infrastructure Partners, is contributing $50 million.

The project is being delivered by Kā Huanui a Tāhuna, an alliance formed by QLDC and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, along with two construction companies and two design companies, Downer NZ, Fulton Hogan, Beca and WSP.

We are planning to have Stage 1 of the Arterial complete by late 2024.  Some enabling works began on 1 July 2021 – so that makes a three-year construction programme.

The alignment of the Arterial goes through a neighbourhood that is entirely residential properties or visitor accommodation – places that people sleep.  QLDC’s district plan includes hours of work and maximum noise limits that are compatible with people sleeping and enjoying respite from construction activity.  The Arterial construction crew will work within these specified hours and noise limits. 

Stage 1 of the Arterial connects into Queenstown’s road network at two busy intersections – Frankton Road/Melbourne Street and Henry Street/Gorge Road.  Both of these intersections will be completely rebuilt and traffic lights will be installed. 

There be a lot of visible disruption while each of these intersections are under construction until late 2024.  

For the Frankton Road/Melbourne Street intersection you can expect lots of cones and barriers and the speed limit will be reduced to 30km per hour past the worksite.  

Please allow extra time for journeys that take you through these parts of town.

There will also be localised traffic disruption experienced by people at various times on all the other roads that form, or are connected to the Arterial.

Temporary changes to vehicle access are likely to be the most disruptive thing that you will experience.  Unfortunately, when new underground services are being laid, there will be times when getting your car in and out of your driveway won’t be possible.  We’ll keep that time as short as possible, but please bear with us.

Some streets will be closed to through-traffic from time to time – so you may not be able to take your usual route.

Construction is quite noisy.  The district plan sets noise limits and we’ll be monitoring our noise levels regularly to make sure we’re working within those limits.  Work will mostly be completed between 7.30am and 6.00pm, Monday – Friday, and 7.30am-2.00pm on Saturdays.

We’ll be building some large retaining walls that will use large piling rigs to get the piles in.  This may cause some vibration that you feel inside your home.  We will be monitoring vibration levels and do not anticipate any damage to buildings or properties.

We’ll make sure your rubbish bins can be emptied each week – pop them out in the usual spot and we’ll move them to a spot where the trucks can empty them – and bring your empty bin back to where you left it.

At times during construction, car parking spaces on the streets below will be unavailable.  We will stay in touch with local residents and accommodation providers when there are temporary changes to on-street parking spaces along these streets:

• Melbourne Street
• Suburb Street
• Sydney Street
• Beetham Street
• Ballarat Street
• Henry Street

When Stage 1 of the Arterial is complete, the number and location of parking spaces on the following streets will be similar to before the project began:

• Suburb Street
• Sydney Street
• Beetham Street
• Ballarat Street

Most of the parking spaces on Melbourne Street and Henry Street will be removed. 

The full recommended Town Centre Arterial route is not without its challenges.  

Stage 2 will involve the demolition of the existing Queenstown Memorial Centre facility.

The Memorial Centre is part of the fabric of the performing arts and returned services community and the Council is committed to proactively working together on a solution for a replacement facility. 

It is a condition of the designation that the Memorial Centre cannot be demolished (effectively Stage 2 of the road cannot be constructed) until Council has, through its Ten Year Plan process, and after further consultation with users, confirmed a timeframe, funding and programme for the construction of new facilities.

The Council plans to engage with existing users of the facilities in the future.

There is a key interface between the Arterial Road and the Frankton Intersection and Bus Hub Improvement Project at the intersection of Frankton Road and Melbourne Street. 

This intersection will become controlled by traffic lights to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.  It will also include measures to prioritise public transport.  The Frankton Intersection and Bus Hub Improvement Project will apply the same principles to a number of intersections along SH6/6A.

From early-March 2022 until late 2024 the kiss and drop parking spaces for St Joseph’s School will be located on Hallenstein Street – please see the map below.  Once the Arterial Road is completed, the kiss and drop spaces will be relocated to their original spot on Beetham Street.

During construction of the Arterial Road, there will be quite a lot of disruption around St Joseph’s church.  We will stay in touch with the parish regarding the best place for parishioners and others attending church services to park.  Once construction is complete, dedicated parking spaces for St Joseph’s church visitors will be available on Melbourne Street.

Queenstown Hill will still be well-connected to the town centre – every street between the two areas will still be connected for pedestrians, so you can continue to take your normal route. 

During construction there may be temporary footpath closures that mean you’ll need to cross to the other side of the street – but there will still be a simple route into town and back.

Both sides of the Arterial Road (currently Melbourne Street and Henry Street) will have wide, safe footpaths. Sydney Street and Ballarat Street will both provide safe and fully accessible routes between the Arterial Road and the town centre.  Stairs on the lower side of Beetham Street mean it will not be a fully accessible route.

The Arterial will be a local road.

40km per hour.  The same as other urban roads around Whakatipu.

No, vehicles or loads that are over-dimension will still useState Highway 6A, along Shotover Street and Stanley Street through Queenstown’s town centre.

Please contact Anita Sanghera, the Lead Stakeholder and Engagement Manager for Kā Huanui a Tāhuna. 

Phone 021 376 130, or email:
anita.sanghera@wtpa.co.nz 

If Anita can’t answer your questions, she'll put you in touch with someone who can.