New road layout on Fitzherbert Avenue to allow for upgrades

Published on 28 March 2025

Palmerston North residents using Fitzherbert Avenue may need to plan for extra time in their daily commutes as infrastructure upgrades take place over the coming weeks.

The upgrades include repairing the top layer of road at the intersection of Fitzherbert and Te Awe Awe Streets and upgrading the size of the stormwater pipes from the Fitzherbert Bridge to Hughes Ave opposite Fitzherbert Park. We’ll also be repairing some handrails on the Fitzherbert Bridge. Several small patches of road repairs on Fitzherbert Avenue will also take place between Te Awe Awe Street and Ferguson Street. These will all take one or two days each and require a lane closure, but will take place between 9am and 3pm to avoid peak traffic.

We've coordinated the projects to minimise disruption, with stormwater upgrades to start on Monday 7 April, followed by roading upgrades in early-May. Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of June.

Some repair work is required on Chaytor Street, and we’ll provide another update to affected properties and the community when these details are confirmed later. Properties will receive a letter, and we’ll put the details on our roadworks webpage and social media.

Transport and development group manager Glen O’Connor encourages residents, commuters, businesses, people on bikes, and schoolchildren who travel along this route to be aware of the upcoming works and plan accordingly.

"We need to repair the Fitzherbert/Te Awe Awe intersection as the road surface is deteriorating due to water damage. We need to do this before winter to avoid further damage to the road during the wet months. At the same time, we’ll also repair some of the handrails on the Fitzherbert Bridge and other parts of Fitzherbert Avenue which are starting to fail.”

Three waters group manager Mike Monaghan says we’re taking the opportunity to upgrade the stormwater network at the same time as the roadworks. Existing stormwater pipes in the area are too small, which leads to flooding during heavy rain and causes a safety risk in heavy traffic. Larger pipes will improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding.

Our council water team will install the new pipes during the day, while our road maintenance contractor Fulton Hogan will do most of the Fitzherbert/Te Awe Awe intersection work overnight from 6pm to 6am to keep the intersection fully functional during the day. Some work must be done during the day, such as resealing the street which can only be done in warmer temperatures, though the intersection will always be kept open to one lane when this happens.

Fitzherbert Avenue will have a temporary traffic layout during the construction period, with all four vehicle lanes shifted over and separated by flexi-poles to provide a safe workspace for water pipe installation and to reduce the number of road cones.

Footpaths will remain open, but cycle lanes will be closed. People on bikes heading into town will be detoured via the river pathway or Victoria Esplanade (depending on the location of the worksite) and bikes heading to Summerhill will be detoured via Hughes Avenue. On-street parking in the affected area will be removed to enable space for the new traffic layout. Two bus stops opposite the Victoria Esplanade entrance or Fitzherbert Park will be temporarily relocated to the other side of Hughes Avenue.

The Fitzherbert/Te Awe Awe intersection will remain operational during the day, but speeds will be reduced to 30km/h as some sections of the road may be unsealed.

The Victoria Esplanade entrance off Fitzherbert Avenue will remain open, except for about two days when pipes beneath it are being upgraded. Esplanade user groups will be notified of these days ahead of time.

The cost of stormwater upgrade is $1.2 million. The roading upgrades are about $300,000.

Elsewhere in the city, Fulton Hogan is starting safety upgrades to the intersection of Kelvin Grove Road and Henaghans Road in early-April. This includes widening the road and improving visibility for motorists. The intersection will be closed for two months with detours in place. Construction of the Amberley Ave bridge will be completed by the end of April, with the road planned to be reopened shortly after Anzac Day. Other water upgrades on Botanical Road, Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road, and Ashhurst/Stoney Creek Roads are all on schedule. Over the coming months, we’ll also be carrying out repairs to sections of Botanical Road and Pioneer Highway.

You can stay updated on roadworks in the city by visiting the roadworks page or by checking our weekly Friday infrastructure posts on our Facebook page.

We appreciate the community’s cooperation and understanding as we continue to improve our city’s infrastructure.