Work begins on Christchurch Northern Corridor

Relief for North Canterbury commuters is on the way with work beginning on a major roading project designed to ease traffic congestion.

Work will start on the Christchurch Northern Corridor following a sod turning ceremony attended by a number of officials including Prime Minister John Key, Transport Minister Simon Bridges, and Christchurch Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner on Friday morning.

Pupils from Papanui Primary School performed a haka and waiata at the ceremony. 

Pupils from Papanui Primary School performed at the ceremony.

The project, valued at $240 million, is made up of the Northern Arterial, a new section of State Highway 74 connecting to QEII Drive, plus two Christchurch City Council projects – the Northern Arterial Extension and the Cranford Street Upgrade.

The new section of the northern motorway will be built to the east of Belfast, between the Waimakariri River and Cranford Street.

Deputy Mayor Turner said the Christchurch Northern Corridor would help reduce congestion and improve safety for commuters travelling between North Canterbury and Christchurch, and improve access to the Lyttelton Port.

“The project will also reduce traffic on local roads and particularly Main North Road. This will improve safety and travel time reliability for people walking, biking and using public transport.”

Waimakariri District Council Mayor David Ayers says, “We have had a lot of population growth in the Waimakariri District over the past decade so it is pleasing to see transport infrastructure improving to match that growth."

The Christchurch Northern Corridor includes:

• The upgrade of QEII Drive to four lanes between Main North Road and Innes Road
• Better access to the growing industrial zoned area around Belfast
• A third northbound lane on the Waimakariri motorway bridge through to Tram Road
• A shared pedestrian/cycle path along the length of the project that will link to existing streets and cycle paths benefiting local neighbourhoods
• Improvements to the public transport network on Main North Road
• A planned connection to the Papanui Parallel Major Cycle Route from Cranford Street.

“The addition of a shared path for people travelling on foot or by bike combined with a planned connection to the Papanui Parallel Major Cycle Route will be a welcome addition to Christchurch’s walking and cycling facilities,” Deputy Mayor Turner said.

An artist's impression of the project

The four-year project is being built under an alliance including the New Zealand Transport Agency, Christchurch City Council, Fulton Hogan, Aurecon and Jacobs.

It will complete the Christchurch Motorways Roads of National Significance programme delivered by NZTA on behalf of the Government.