Newly completed cycleway links northern suburbs to city
A long-awaited $10.5 million cycleway linking Christchurch’s northern suburbs with the central city has finally opened.
Work on the 2.4 kilometre section of the Northern Line started in 2021 but there were delays in getting it finished due to its location alongside train tracks.
Most of the work on the second stage of the cycleway, from Tuckers Rd in Redwood to Northwood Boulevard, was carried out in the rail corridor.
Christchurch City Council transport planning and deliver manager Jacob Bradbury said the entire programme was staggered due to issues arising from having to block the train lines.
The final part of the stage took nine months to complete.
The completed section means people can now cycle from Northwood and Belfast to Riccarton and the central city via a continuous 7.5km shared path and cycleway.
The entire cost of the project was covered by the previous Government’s shovel ready programme, designed to stimulate the economy following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Acting mayor Pauline Cotter said the completion of the section was “an exciting milestone for Ōtautahi”, especially those living in the northern suburbs.
“It provides great connection to schools, shops, parks and two other major cycle routes.”
The project had been a long time in the making and the result was a wonderful asset for the community, Cotter said.
The work included an upgrade of the Styx
Mill/Main North Rd intersection, which was completed in 2022.
Due to the cycleway’s location along the rail corridor, the council worked with KiwiRail on the design and delivery of the project.
Safety upgrades were completed at railway level crossings on Barnes, Sturrocks and Tuckers roads. The last section of the cycleway, at the southern end between Kilmarnock St and Old Blenheim Rd has yet to be completed. The council has yet to confirm when this work would begin.
The Northern Line is one of 13 major cycleway routes, spanning 101km, approved by the council in 2013.
The design and construction of the network was supposed to be completed by 2018, but the project has been delayed a number of times. Just six routes are fully open and another three have been partially finished.
It is not known exactly when the cycleway network will be completed, due to uncertainty around Government funding. The council plans to confirm which transport projects will go ahead and when, later this year, once it knows how much money the Government will contribute.