We’re upgrading the Park Road-Cook Street intersection by the Esplanade

The intersection is being transformed so motorists can travel directly from Cook Street into the Esplanade, rather than having to wait at the median and then cross. The current layout has resulted in traffic delays as people try to enter and exit the park, and also has resulted in some motorists carrying out dangerous maneuvers.

The new intersection will line the Victoria Esplanade entrance up with Cook Street, and sit between the Lido and the current entrance. The new intersection will also have traffic lights to help improve the flow of traffic from all directions.

The current entrance will be kept for pedestrians and cyclists to use, and our iconic cherry trees will remain.

We’re also adding a new carpark, with 24 spaces.

We’re trying to keep disruption to a minimum

Work will happen between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. The contractors, Downer, will also be working hard to minimise disruption at peak times.

A range of traffic management measures will be in place, including stop/go controls, lane closures, and a temporary speed limit.

There will be delays at the intersection as we need to dig up parts of the road to install the new traffic lights and upgrade other services.

Please plan your journey

We encourage you to only use this intersection on weekdays if you need to.

If you’re visiting the Esplanade by car during these hours, we encourage you to use the Manawaroa Street or Fitzherbert Avenue entrances instead. We’re also asking Lido visitors to access the pools from the Awatapu College end of Park Road to minimise delays.

Please plan your journey with some time up your sleeve in case you encounter these disruptions.

There will be reduced on-street parking from time-to-time to keep contractors and the public safe as we carry out the excavation work.

Project timeline

Construction is due to start on Wednesday 24 March 2021. We aim to have the upgrade complete by July 2021.