Motorists are urged to steer clear of central Wellington this coming Saturday and Newtown this Sunday as an events-packed month of March kicks into gear.
The Wellington International Pride Parade on Saturday 7 March, starting 6pm, runs along Courtenay Place and Taranaki Street to the waterfront. There’ll be rolling closures of these streets to allow the parade to pass and there’ll be disruptions to traffic on Wakefield and Cable streets.
Also on Saturday 7 March, the Bowlzilla skateboarding championships will be at Waitangi Park on the waterfront from 10am to 6pm. There’ll be large numbers of people crossing nearby Cable Street so motorists are urged to take care or take alternative routes to avoid delays.
Finally, on Saturday and Sunday the Wellington Dragon Boat Festival will be held on the waterfront, centred on the Frank Kitts Park area. Motorists are likely to experience some delays as spectators come and go across the quays.
On Sunday 8 March the Newtown Festival is on – this huge event requires extensive road closures and diversions around the suburb. Motorists heading to the southern and eastern suburbs are urged to avoid Newtown to avoid delays. Buses heading to and from the south and east will also be diverted. People heading to the festival are urged to walk or take public transport – parking will either be prohibited in a number of Newtown streets or will be at a premium.
Wellington City Council Transport and Infrastructure Manager Siobhan Procter says this coming weekend signals the start of a busy month – and motorists should take note of the various road closures and plan accordingly.
Ms Procter warns that this Sunday’s expected traffic congestion signals the start of several weekends of major events in and around the central city of which motorists should be aware. These include:
• Willis Street - motorists should also be aware that upper Willis Street remains closed to through traffic due to the ongoing sewerage system repairs in the area. It is hoped Willis Street will be reopened before the end of this month.
• The Jim Beam Homegrown music festival is on the waterfront on Saturday 21 March – large crowds of festival-goers mean motorists should again take care or avoid the waterfront quays and Cable Street to avoid delays.
• CubaDupa – 28-29 March - this major festival will bring thousands of people to Te Aro with the full closure of Cuba Street and surrounding streets. Motorists are urged to avoid the area.
• Palliser Road resurfacing – this important route from the CBD to the Mt Victoria summit will be resurfaced between Bayview Terrace and Roseneath Terrace, starting this week. The road will be under stop-go traffic control from today (2 March) and then closed to through traffic from Monday 9 March. The work is expected to take up to five weeks.
• Mein Street, Newtown – this busy street will be resurfaced between Riddiford Street and Daniell Street. The road will be closed between 6pm and 5am so crews can work at night. The work is scheduled to run from Sunday 22 March to Wednesday 25 March.
Ends