Cromwell road closure to stretch out by weeks

Up to four more weeks - that's how long Cromwell residents should expect to have to deal with a pesky detour on a key thoroughfare in the centre of town.

A section of Waenga Drive outside the Cromwell New World flagged to re-open to traffic on November 4 may now stay shut until late November.

The short stretch of road between Cairnmuir Crescent and Murray Terrace closed on October 14 to allow for construction works connected to the New World supermarket to progress.

A road closure has been extended as construction work steps up a gear at Cromwell's biggest supermarket.

The Central Otago District Council delivered the news in a post to its Facebook page on Thursday.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances with the utilities underground, the Foodstuffs/New World Cromwell development project on Waenga Drive will overrun by 14-21 days, possibly into late November," it says.

"A project update will be provided in the next week via the Noticeboard, CODC website and Facebook page. Apologies for any inconvenience."

The closure means drivers 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.

There were complaints from some when the closure was first put in place that the roading change had come as a surprise and an alternative route had not been well sign-posted.

Foodstuffs, which owns New World, was given approval by the council to buy a slice of greenway land neighbouring its Cromwell supermarket in 2021.

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.

Cromwell New World readies for greenway-driveway conversion

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