Latest update: 24/02/2017
Western end of St Asaph and Tuam Streets to be upgraded
February 2017
Work to upgrade the few remaining blocks of St Asaph Street, Tuam Street and Hagley Avenue will get underway on 27 February as part of An Accessible City.
This work will complete the creation of separated west and eastbound cycle lanes along St Asaph and Tuam Streets. The road and footpaths will also be resurfaced to align with the improvements made to the east of Durham street in 2016. Additional street lighting and plantings will also be included.
This stage of An Accessible City is being delivered by Downer for Ōtākaro Limited in partnership with Christchurch City Council, Environment Canterbury, Ngāi Tahu and the NZ Transport Agency. The partners have also worked with the Christchurch Transport Operations Centre on the plan.
“This work will enable Tuam Street to accommodate significant traffic flows from the west and serve as a primary public transport route,” says Ōtākaro Chief Executive Albert Brantley.
Roadworks will begin on St Asaph Street (between Antigua Street and Hagley Avenue) and on the west side of Hagley Avenue. On St Asaph Street traffic will be reduced to one lane during construction and on-street parking permanently removed to accommodate the changes. Work is expected to take about five months to complete, subject to weather and construction conditions.
Following this, work on Tuam Street (between Durham Street and Antigua Street) will begin on the south side before moving to the north side. When work begins on-street parking will be permanently removed from the north side of Tuam Street. Two lane traffic and pedestrian access will be maintained at peak traffic times with some work carried out at night and weekends.
Christchurch City Council Transport Operations Manager Aaron Haymes says, “It is great to see this work getting underway. As more of the An Accessible City network is rolled out we will start to see the benefits of the street priority system come through.”
An Accessible City stems from the Share an Idea campaign through which people asked for greener streets with slower traffic and quality walking and cycling paths.
Ōtākaro is also managing upgrades on two other central city streets that border Anchor Projects.
Manchester Street has returned to two lanes between Lichfield and Hereford Streets and the paved footpaths on both sides between Cashel and Hereford Streets will be completed soon.
Durham Street will return to two lanes between Kilmore and Hereford Streets next month. Durham Street from Hereford will return to two lanes around April.
Partners in An Accessible City thank Christchurch people for their patience during this construction. Commuters should check www.tfc.govt.nz for real-time updates on the areas of work and information on how to most effectively use the transport network while it is being carried out. Check for parking in advance of travel at www.ccc.govt.nz/transport/parking/park-smart/.
