Kaipara District Council’s long-running initiative to improve and upgrade Wood Street in Mangawhai is focusing on foliage over the coming weeks, with improvements planned for roadside plant containers.
A spokesperson said work was being carried out to remediate and replant concrete planters and troughs that line the street, some of which have plants in and others that have wooden benchtops, but many are empty at present.
“Contractors are removing soil, fixing drainage and adding new native greenery to a number of the temporary concrete containers. The work will happen over the next two to three weeks,” the spokesperson said.
The work is part of an interim design that will remain in place until the permanent upgrade takes place next year. In the meantime, the project team is working on “the last bits and bobs” of the final design.
The long-running process has been going on since 2019, when Mangawhai Business Association approached Council over high levels of traffic, congestion and pedestrian safety in and around Wood Street, which are worst during the peak summer season and public holidays.
Since then, numerous community workshops, trials, surveys and data monitoring have been carried out, as new layouts and designs have been tried out. The biggest changes have been making Wood Street one-way and the introduction of new parking arrangements and traffic calming measures.
However, the process has not been without its critics, with many locals complaining on social media about issues including traffic congestion, the safety of pedestrian crossing areas and painted street art becoming slippery when wet.
The upgrade was made possible thanks to 90 per cent funding by Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, which awarded Council $455,000 from its Innovating Streets for People programme in 2020 for the interim design.
