The Gordon Street upgrade is on track for completion in late November with the project about to enter its next stage.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council acting director of infrastructure Cam Hawkins said the Gordon Street upgrade was progressing well and they were preparing to start stage three works on Monday [June 28].
Changes to traffic conditions will come with the new stage of works.
"The westbound slow lane and parking lane will be closed, but the businesses along Gordon Street remain open throughout the upgrades, so make sure to continue supporting them while we're upgrading this key arterial road for our community," Mr Hawkins said.
The Gordon Street upgrade spans between Horton Street and the Ocean Drive/Hastings River Drive intersection.
The project will not only help improve road safety but also increase the capacity of the stormwater system and future-proof council's delivery of drinking water to the community through the installation of a high capacity, drinking water-main pipeline.
The council awarded the contract for the works to Eire Construction.
Gordon Street businesses remain open
Touchwood Flowers owner Ashley Sargeson said the council and the on-site workers had kept her informed about the project.
"It's a very busy road and it will be fantastic when it is done," Mrs Sargeson said.
The area was growing, she said, and the work needed to be done.
The upgrade to date has not impacted the business. Mrs Sargeson said there would probably be an impact next week but the business was lucky to have a delivery service.
"They have given us warning so we are going with the flow," she said.
PMB Mechanical owner David Walker also praised the communication about the project.
It will be nice when it's finished but it really hasn't inconvenienced us a lot at all.
- David Walker from PMB Mechanical
He said any issues raised were fixed instantly and signs informed motorists about the work.
"They made sure we had access at all times," Mr Walker said.
He said sometimes people had to put up with a bit of inconvenience along the way to improvements.
"I have no complaints," Mr Walker said.
"It will be nice when it's finished but it really hasn't inconvenienced us a lot at all."
Koorong Books store manager Martin Camilleri said Gordon Street would look great once the project was completed and it was work that needed to be done.
"Most of the work is at night and parking is always an issue," he said.
"The construction company and council have done their best to provide for that."
Upgrade progresses in stages
Stage one works started in April.
The first stage involved closing the eastbound slow lane and parking; upgrading stormwater and water-main; relocating the bus stop closer to Gore Street and shifting existing on-street parking to the west; installing a new pedestrian ramp and kerb and removing on-street parking to facilitate a righthand turn lane.
Then came stage two with the installation of the water-main along the median between Gore and Hollingworth streets.
Asphalting is primarily complete and the new median kerb installed.
Work on the northern side of Hollingworth Street to upgrade the asphalt is mostly complete.
Stage three is due to start from Monday, June 28, weather permitting.
That stage will involve closing the westbound slow lane and some parking; upgrading the stormwater and watermain; installing a new pedestrian ramp and kerb; and upgrading the road asphalt.
The work will primarily be carried out in smaller sections due to the nature of the work required.
Some westbound parking will remain available throughout stage three. The location of available parking will change, pending the work.
Stage three will also include the major watermain cut-over, which will be done at night towards the end of stage three.
The council will consult with businesses and the broader community before this work begins.
Stages four and stage five are expected to take three weeks each.
The final layer of asphalt and the permanent line marking for all five stages will be completed at the end of the project.
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