Milton Main Street

Work began in June 2023 to upgrade aged water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure on Union Street, between High Street to Abercrombie Street, as well as undergrounding overhead powerlines and footpath reinstatement.

The makeover of the Gray Street Plaza which began in September 2025 is the final phase of improvements to Milton’s CBD main street area.

Union Street, Milton at the Gray Street Plaza.

We are replacing aged infrastructure with a new stormwater system along Union Street and wastewater pipes. This also gave us the opportunity to upgrade pipe capacity, addressing long-standing flooding issues and planning for future growth in Milton.

We asked the community what they wanted and improving Milton’s main street was one of the top priorities identified in the Our Place Milton community plan.

Milton’s main street is a busy route for motorists on State Highway 1, as well as a major focal point for the community, with many important buildings, shops and public spaces. This project will replace critical infrastructure and is a big step towards revitalising Union Street, making it a more attractive destination.

Investing in infrastructure and promoting growth are key outcomes detailed in Council’s Living and Working in Clutha Strategy that overarch and support this project.

The entire project is expected to be completed by early 2026.

Andrew Haulage (2011) Ltd. PowerNet installed the underground power cables and remove overhead power lines and poles.

This work is also in collaboration with Waka Kotahi as Milton's main street is also a State Highway.

There is a detailed traffic management plan for this project to ensure safety. Our contractor may report violations to Police.

Traffic will be able to travel in both directions but there will be safety measures and a 30km speed restriction in place.

This cannot happen because due to the sheer size of the project and number of utilities affected. It is a complex job at depth involving existing infrastructure. The disruption would also not be acceptable for motorists, visitors, Milton residents and businesses.

Yes, just not along the section where the contractors are working.

There will still be footpath access to shops on both sides.

Each section being worked on will be surrounded by safety fencing to protect the worksite, traffic, and people.

The contractor will work to ensure there is access to allow people to enter shops and houses. Where there are interruptions to the footpath access and the parking lanes, one side of the path and road will be clear.

Council is working alongside contractors to ensure the work is done in a timely manner and businesses are informed of potential delays.

We will provide regular updates to keep businesses informed of the project’s progress.

If you have any concerns, please call Council on 0800 801 350 and staff will work to resolve the issue.

Most of the time, yes. But when a water connection needs to be commissioned, affected businesses will be contacted by the contractor in advance to arrange a suitable time.

We are installing a significantly bigger pipe to provide better capacity in case of heavy rain events. This will capture stormwater currently discharging from commercial and residential properties onto the street, producing overland flow down Union Street. The new system will take this stormwater into the new underground stormwater system.

Council engaged Fluent Consultants to conduct a storm disposal model. Based on their findings and subsequent designs we believe it is prudent to carry out the upgrade in conjunction with the Milton Streetscape project to improve future flooding risks.

Burying the power cables has been described as ‘instant beautification’ for the main street, as well as improving visibility for pedestrians and motorists. New streetlights will also be installed.

In the 2018-28 Long Term Plan Council confirmed the Milton main street upgrade project as a multi-year project and set aside budget to proceed.

Andrew Haulage are working Monday to Friday from 8am - 4.30pm.