Little more than 12 months ago, motorists on Riccarton Rd finally breathed a sigh of relief after years of roadworks came to an end.
But that reprieve from endless traffic jams will be short-lived another section of the major road is about to be dug up.
A 1.7-kilometre stretch of the street will have ageing pipes and three intersections replaced over the next nine months, and the city council expects the work will cause some delays.
Eighteen projects were scheduled there and on surrounding streets in the next few months, the Christchurch City Council said.
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Some projects would only take a few months, but major works were not expected to be finished until next March.
Projects included replacing water and wastewater pipes, installing new cycleways and upgrading intersections, including those where Wharenui and Waimairi roads meet Riccarton Rd.
The number of fines issued to Christchurch motorists caught parking or driving in bus lanes has doubled since 2018. (Video first published Jan 2020).
Changing all the ageing pipes, some of which were installed in the 1920s, would cost $12.6 million. The two cycleways had a total budget of $36m.
The work would cause disruptions, and temporary traffic management plans would be in place to ensure traffic flow was maintained, the council said.
If you are travelling through the suburb over the next few months you may encounter some delays, the council’s general manager of infrastructure, planning and regulatory service, Jane Davis, said.
We are sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we do this work to keep our infrastructure in good working condition.
Asian Value Mart manager Navin Sal said some work started about a week ago in front of his shop, near the Clyde Rd and Riccarton Rd intersection.
He said it had been noisy and created more traffic. He labelled the work really frustrating.
Sal said some of his customers had complained it was difficult to get to his shop due to the traffic.
They try to go to other stores that are nearby, he said.
Sal said it would be better if the work could be done during the night.
If they do it during the night, it should be alright, theres no proper traffic and no customers will be coming for the nighttime, he said.
It’s not fair enough.
The biggest project would be to replace pipes on Riccarton Rd, between Matipo St and Hansons Lane.
The pipes are very old and have reached the end of their life, Davis said.
Work would also happen on the NorWest Arc cycleway, which runs down Hansons Lane, and the South Express cycleway, which runs on roads slightly south of Riccarton Rd.
Old water pipes would also be replaced on Wharenui Rd, Waimairi Rd and Maidstone Rd.
Meanwhile, work had already started on radical” changes to the dangerous Riccarton, Ilam and Middleton roads intersection. That work was expected to be done by the end of August.
In 2016, the council began work to replace earthquake-damaged pipes on 540-metre stretch of Riccarton Rd, between Deans Ave and Harakeke St, nearer to the Hagley Park end.
The work took longer than expected, finishing in 2018 after 20 months. The delay was due to the condition of the road being worse than expected.
Eight months after that works ended, work began to transform the section of the road near Westfield Mall, between Harakeke and Matipo streets.
That work ended in April 2020, eight months ahead of schedule.