Is Queenstown's "Road to Nowhere" a waste of money?

The Queenstown upgrade of Melbourne & Henry Streets has been heralded as a bypass of Queenstown's CBD. Was the $128m price tag worth it?

The existing State Highway 6A branches from the State Highway 6 junction at Frankton, terminating at the corner of Beech and Shotover Streets in downtown Queenstown. It is a 50km/h road through town that carries a daily average of 17,178 vehicles per day.

Due to Queenstown Hill's topography (and politics), the grid system had gaps, including a 120m section that would have overwise connected Melbourne Street with Henry Street:

The NZ Transport Agency and Queenstown Lakes District Council decided to span the gap by building a 650m section of 40km/h road and installing an additional three sets of traffic lights would ease congestion.

To provide a comparison of the costs involved, here is a table of some other roading projects:

The construction of the bypass required rerouting or replacing water, stormwater, and sewerage pipes. That saying, it wasn't a tunnel, a bridge, or a vital regional connection. It's just another urban road.

So, how does the route compared to the old route? I filmed some comparisons:

The road's been dubbed a "Road to Nowhere", drawing a lot of criticism for the congestion generated by its construction. Others defended the project for 'future proofing' a town that has since become a city.

So, what do you think? Was it worth it?