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Improvements coming for Eastgate public transport hub

Nic Duff
169 eastgate final
Plans for the new public transport hub at Eastgate Shopping Centre  Supplied

Work is set to get under way this week on a new and improved public transport hub at Eastgate Shopping Centre.

Lynnette Ellis, transport planning and delivery manager for Christchurch City Council, says there are approximately 470 buses using the existing bus stop daily, making it one of the busiest in the city.

She adds the improvements will make it “safer and easier for the 1400 bus passengers who use this bus hub each day to access their bus stops”.

The improvements include grouping all the bus stops together and installing a new signalized pedestrian crossing on Buckleys Road.

Norwich Street will also be turned into a cul-de-sac in order to make space for new improved bus shelters and create “a nicer waiting area” that will prevent buses from parking over any driveways.

“We’ve had issues in the past with buses blocking people’s driveways, but the changes we are making should reduce the likelihood of that happening,” Ellis says.

The $2 million project is expected to be completed in August and contractors will be partially working at night when there is less traffic.

Ellis says the buses will run their normal timetable, but users could expect small delays as the location of some bus stops may change.