Little bridge gets a big upgrade
Many people probably don’t realise it, but there’s a small bridge on Lower Queen Street, a small bridge that is about to get a major upgrade.
Borck Creek runs under the Lower Queen Street bridge next to Headingly Lane, but it’s not wide enough to pass sufficient stormwater flow. The new larger bridge will ensure water can flow away better during heavy rain, reducing the risk of flooding with further work being done downstream to widen the channel out to the estuary.
The current bridge is about 14 metres long and is to be replaced by a new 48-metre-long structure which will allow the channel under it to be widened.
The project has been planned for several years and has a budget of around $11.5 million. It will take up to 14 months to complete.
Lower Queen St Bridge flyover
Why is this work needed?
Borck Creek is one of the critical watercourses in the Richmond catchment serving a 1,400-hectare catchment area. It has gone through a significant journey of planning to secure a corridor not only for the use of stormwater relief but also providing public amenity and ecological value.
The Borck Creek development is a long-term project. Currently this small bridge creates a bottle neck in this part of the stormwater network. The new longer bridge is vital to ensure large volumes of accumulated water can easily and quickly flow out into the Waimea Estuary in a large flood.
Bypass road route
The temporary slip road around the construction site will meet full road construction standards to provide a quality surface for all users, including heavy vehicles.
There will be full entry to Pinnacle House at all times.
The image below shows the bypass route. Click on image to enlarge.
The blue line is an indication of where the bypass road will go. The other blue line shows the extension of Saltmarsh Lane to provide access to Headingly Lane.
Traffic management
There will be a couple of short periods when the road will still need to be closed during the construction phase. Where feasible, we will schedule these outside peak hours.
We will share any road closure information via the Antenno app – download it for free from the app store on your phone.
You can also click the follow button in the banner at the top of this page to receive updates.
Project updates and news
Preliminary site work completed
