Bridge to Better project work moves west on Bridge Street

Work to install a new underground power cable on Bridge Street west is now underway between Trafalgar and Rutherford Streets as the Bridge to Better project progresses.

The new power cable was inserted beneath the Bridge/Trafalgar Street intersection earlier this week before being extended down Bridge Street west towards Rutherford Street. This work needs to be completed ahead of the main construction period, starting February 2026, to ensure there’s enough capacity in the city’s power supply when the existing cables are removed next year.

Bridge Street between Trafalgar and Rutherford Streets will drop to one-lane while this work is carried out, meaning traffic can only travel one-way from Trafalgar Street towards Rutherford Street.

On-street parking will be restricted, but pedestrian access to all shops and cafés will remain open, and a pedestrian crossing through the works will be provided.

Meanwhile, on Bridge Street east, crews have completed two new manholes that will make it easier to maintain the heritage brick-lined sewer beneath the street. The sewer is now ready for a UV-cured liner to be installed next year, allowing it to be repurposed as a stormwater pipe, and the first section of trenching has been backfilled.

In the laneways, kerbing is complete in the Montgomery Square laneway, and new footpath preparation is underway in the Alma Street laneway. This means we have been able to alter access to Vivo Hair Salon, Nelson Skin Clinic and Prego Mediterranean Foods & Comida Café/Restaurant, making entry clearer and more direct for customers.

When both laneways are complete, they’ll create safer, easier connections between Bridge Street and the nearby car parks, with the Montgomery Square laneway becoming exit-only and the Alma Street laneway entry-only.

All Bridge Street businesses remain open throughout the works so please continue to support local cafés, shops, and services. Look out for alternate entryways to businesses via the laneways and car parks off Wakatu Square, Buxton Square, and Montgomery Square – you might be able to save yourself some time by popping into the place you’re looking for via their back entrance.