Progress on Chch Cycling Projects

It’s a chilly old time of it in Christchurch lately, and it can feel sometimes like not much is happening locally on the cycle front. Actually there are quite a few projects on the go, either physically on the ground or behind the scenes with planning. Here’s a quick overview of where some of these projects are at (if you know about other things, then please sing out in the comments):

Cycleway progress around the city up until July 2021 (click to enlarge)
  • The South Express major cycleway section from South Hagley Park to Main South Rd (Upper Riccarton) has been full steam ahead since late last year, with many sections pretty much rideable now. Work continues at a number of major signalised intersection crossings, such as Curletts Rd, Matipo St, and Clarence St. It will probably be about October before it is all completed. Meanwhile, planning/design is being finalised to start the next section from there towards Hornby and Templeton soon.
The South Express / Nor’West Arc routes join at a new walk/cycle “Barnes Dance” intersection at Hansons Ln / Suva St
  • The Nor’West Arc major cycleway route has seen most of the southern section now completed from Cashmere to Upper Riccarton. Currently work is underway along Middleton and Ilam Rds to connect the route to the University. And very soon there will be some initial conversations with key stakeholders about the northern section through to Papanui, with full public consultation due later this year.
This new signalised crossing of Lincoln Rd along the Nor’West Arc route is now operational
  • If you’re wondering what has happened to the Wheels to Wings major cycleway along Harewood Rd, work has been underway to refine the draft design after the initial consultation attracted over 1200 submissions. Some further stakeholder meetings have been held to discuss potential changes and some public drop-in sessions to discuss these further are planned for August, after which a Hearings Panel will confirm the final design for implementation.
  • The “missing link” connecting the Heathcote Expressway major cycleway into town along the top two blocks of Ferry Rd has been filled in with an interim “innovating streets” treatment, making use of temporary separators and paint to provide a separated cycle route. The public can now provide feedback until next January on what they think of the design, including providing feedback on an interactive map.
Some of the interim cycleway treatments along Ferry Rd
  • Te Ara Ihutai, the Christchurch Coastal Pathway is nearing completion, with the final section around Moncks Bay about to start construction. There’s a pretty cool fly-through video  that has been created to show you what this section will look like.
A visual representation of what the final section of the Coastal Pathway will look like
  • Away from the main cycleways, construction has also started on the upgrade of High St, from Cashel Mall to Tuam St. This will feature a cycling route along here (a popular connection from the southwest of the city into town) and a much simplified signalised crossing of Tuam St. Construction should be done by the end of the year; there will also be plans later to reconstruct the section down to St Asaph St as well.
  • Some of you might have noticed the construction work in North Hagley Park to reconstruct and seal the pathway around the perimeter from the Armagh St Bridge to Harper Ave (Carlton Mill corner). This will then mean that there is a continuous sealed route around the park (there have also been pathway improvements behind the hospital alongside the river).

In other interesting related news:

What other cycle-related news is happening around the city?

6 thoughts on “Progress on Chch Cycling Projects”

  1. Excellent information thanks! I must venture further afield and explore these new routes. The completion of the Coastal Pathway and the Ferrymead Bridge to Ferry Road will be fantastic and along with the Heathcote Expressway will provide some great alternatives for getting to and from the city.

  2. Some great progress had been made on the new shared path/cycleway between Templeton and Dawsons Road (part of the South Express I think) but then the contractors removed all the cones, packed up and left. There’s still a section of the path to be sealed. I’m wondering what happened and if it will be sealed anytime soon?

  3. This makes great reading. What ( if anything ) can be reported concerning Annex Road ? Wigram Road to Blenheim Road.

  4. I too am interested in Annex Rd between Wigram Rd and Blenheim Rd. This is the missing link in my commute and is something to look forward to. If it has already been consulted on then hopefully it is in design stage and construction is not far off?

    1. That weblink above for the Nor’West Arc goes to some plans that show what is envisaged; essentially a two-way path on the southwest side of Annex Rd. The original consultation was actually quite some time back, as discussed in http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2017/03/24/norwest-arc-cycleway-now-due-for-consultation/ – not sure what the timeframe status is for this bit; the Long Term Plan would suggest that it might be next year when this bit happens.

  5. I am seeing a lot of progress. I also read articles from can nz, seems like people switched to biking now a days.

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