Communication complaints as Cromwell road closes

Motorists in Cromwell are reporting being caught unawares by a short section of road closure near the town centre.

Waenga Drive is scheduled to remain shut to vehicles for three weeks outside a stretch of approximately five houses between Cairnmuir Crescent and Murray Terrace while construction works connected to the New World supermarket progress.

The closure means vehicles are being diverted onto suburban back streets, or all the way back around Waenga Drive, to eventually arrive at Barry Avenue to make their way back to the town centre.

A delivery driver on Thursday morning was caught short of his destination because of the works and made the pragmatic decision to cart his boxes on a trolley and go by footpath rather than negotiate the detour by road.

He is not the only driver to feel the closure was sprung on him.

On a Facebook post by the Central Otago District Council on Tuesday alerting people to the works, many people have expressed frustration at what they claim was a lack of communication and adequate signage, including of alternative routes.

"Really terrible communication on this guys and no 'detour' signs in place," one person says.

"Many people I've spoken to have expressed frustration as they have come onto Waenga from McNulty Road end, only to reach the closure sign and have to work out how to backtrack and divert around; not everyone is from Cromwell so haven't the knowledge of the alternative routes."

Another complains the council post came a day late: "So why wasn't this posted yesterday or the previous day warning everyone - I'm sure I didn't see a post about it but the road closure was up yesterday? Am I missing something??".

In response, a council spokesperson says, "We're sorry for the inconvenience - unfortunately necessary for the work to be carried out".

They say notices did appear in a local newspaper last week, informing the road will be closed until Monday, November 4. The work was also flagged in council communications in September.

Foodstuffs, which owns the town's New World, was given approval by the council to buy a slice of neighbouring greenway land in 2021.

Changes underway at the Waenga Drive entrance to the Cromwell New World, Thursday, October 17, 2024.

The supermarket is pushing out its building to the west, building a new entry off Waenga Drive, and reshaping the public space to accommodate this growth.

The road closure is to allow underground services to be relocated, landscaping to take place on the remaining slice of reserve land, and a pedestrian crossing to be installed.

The council spokesperson says they will "pass on" feedback received from members of the public around signage related to the road closure.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, part of Melmore Terrace is closed near the site of the new Cromwell events centre under construction.

Main image: A road closure is catching some motorists unawares as construction work step up a gear at Cromwell's biggest supermarket.