End in sight for Riccarton Rd roadworks, after five years and $49 million
More than five years after contractors first started ripping up Christchurch’s busy Riccarton Rd, the city council says no more work is planned along the 3.2-kilometre stretch.
Since September 2016, the council has spent about $49 million refurbishing and modernising the street, which stretches from Hagley Park to Church Corner.
The work has added bus and cycle lanes, made safety improvements to intersections, and replaced scores of old wastewater and water pipes that had reached the end of their usable life.
The final phase of work involves laying new pipes under a 1.7km stretch of Riccarton Rd between Matipo St and Hansons Lane.
The city council's infrastructure, planning and regulatory services general manager, Jane Davis, said this phase would be completed by the end of February.
It would take until the end of March to complete most projects in surrounding streets, she added.
“[After this], we do not have any roadworks or major maintenance planned for Riccarton Rd,” Davis said, though she pointed out that, as with any road, unplanned work could arise.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
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