Progress update
It is expected it will take five to six weeks to lay tram tracks along High Street. Drainage work on Tuam Street is being carried out this week - by Friday one lane of traffic running from Manchester Street to High Street will be reinstated and the work is due to be completed by the end of the weekend.

Paving work on upper High Street, outside Java, is continuing and you will see fences reduced over coming weeks as this work progresses. This will improve the line-of-sight and pedestrian access from City Mall to High Street.

Work is progressing well along Lichfield Street and by the end of next week will be moving to the south side of the road and into the area around the entrance to Poplar Lane. Two lanes of traffic on Lichfield Street have been maintained for the duration of this work.

Pedestrian access
Pedestrian access across the work site will be maintained during construction. The construction team will increase the number of crossings (using specially designed steel bridges) to ensure there are at least two crossing points for the duration of construction.

Storage of construction materials
Where practical, the construction team will store materials off-site, so as to reduce the visual clutter in the street. The area presently being used to store pipe and track has been fenced off because of traffic management and safety issues - the area would remain fenced-off whether the materials were stored there or not.

Parking and delivery vehicles
Parking spaces on the south side of High Street need to be removed for road and pedestrian safety while work is underway. As construction progresses along High Street, parking spaces will be reinstated as soon as possible.

The construction team can temporarily shift safety barriers if you are expecting a special delivery and need access adjacent to your business. To arrange this, please contact Construction Manager Kieran Shine on 027 217 6574 and he will have the barriers moved.

A limited number of parking coupons offering customers an extra hour free at Christchurch City Council car parks - in addition to the first hour free already available - have been purchased by the tram project team and are available to retailers.

Traffic light sequencing at Lichfield Street
After discussing the one-way issues faced in High Street, the traffic light phasing will be modified so that only Lichfield and Manchester streets have green signals, (the High Street phase will be removed from sequence until the two lanes are re-instated).

Hours of work
The construction team generally work from 7.30 am to 5.30pm. Construction contractor Downer is used to working in close proximity to retailers, having just completed the redevelopment of City Mall and in Oxford Terrace and upper High Street. Where possible, particularly noisy work will not be carried out over busy lunchtime periods. If you have a concern about work immediately outside your business, please don't hesitate to contact Construction Manager Kieran Shine on 027 217 6574 and he will endeavour to address the issue.

Signage
"Businesses open as usual" signs will be placed around the work site to let people know that retailers are up and running and encourage shoppers.

The project team will keep businesses and residents up to date with progress. Please feel free to contact:

Project Manager Matt Cummins:                                (03) 941 8236 or Matt.Cummins@ccc.govt.nz