Willis Street Upgrade

New paving at corner of Willis and Mercer streets - completed in 2010

Upgrade work in Willis Street is underway.

The work includes repaving areas of footpath and a new pedestrian crossing and traffic lights near Chews Lane. The repaving work follows on from the footpath upgrade work done between Mercer and Manners streets as part of the Golden Mile project.

Please take extra care where work is happening as surfaces may be uneven. Use safe crossing points and always look both ways - there is a lot going on.

Proposed Work

The work includes:

• adding a new pedestrian crossing with traffic signals near Chews Lane
• repaving the footpath between Willeston and Mercer streets, and on the other side between Lambton Quay and Boulcott Street, using the same pavers that are used elsewhere on the Golden Mile
• installing new pipes (ducting) to carry fibre optic and other cables
• laying new kerb and channelling
• putting in new lighting poles and lights
• installing new street furniture
• improving the pedestrian crossing points at intersections (including installing tactile pavers to help those with impaired vision)
• resealing sections of the street.

The new pedestrian crossing will give pedestrians a safe crossing point mid-block and hopefully encourage more people to cross safely on this busy bus route.

The new traffic lights will be installed during the project, but won't be in use until the work is nearly finished.

Willis Street Layout Plan (1.3Mb PDF)

Time Frame

Work started in mid January and was expected to be complete by late May. It is unfortunately going to take longer than that because of the difficulty of working around below-ground services.

The Council and other service providers have taken the opportunity to upgrade a number of these below-ground services - work that wasn't originally included in the project. This should mean less disruption for pedestrians and traffic in the future and more reliable essential services.

At this stage, our contractor Downer expects most of the work on the Chews Lane side to be finished by the end of May. Work on the other side will resume near the BNZ in mid-May and be completed in stages to Boulcott Street. The whole area will be looking great by the end of July.

Minimising the Impact

Downer is working with retailers to try to keep disruption to a minimum however there are barriers, equipment and people working and some noise, dust and disruption is inevitable.

Pedestrians can get to all shops and businesses but should take care. Detours are in place around work areas.

Work Programme and Hours

Downer is doing the work in sections. Work hours are 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, with a restriction on particularly noisy work between 12 noon and 2.00pm. Weekend work is happening on occasions too.

Work on the road is being kept to a minimum at peak times, 7.00am - 9.00am and 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

We're aware that a significant number of people live in this area but some night work is required and will be noisy at times. The work is primarily on or close to the road and can't be done when the trolley buses are operating. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Bus Stops

Work in these areas is now complete.

More Information

Downer has a liaison person to work with businesses and residents and deal with any day-to-day construction-related issues:

Miranda Greer

If you need more information about the work or have particular concerns at any stage:

Stephen Harte
Project Manager, Transport Network Development

Related Links

• Projects - Restoring the Golden Mile

Department Details:
Infrastructure