Christchurch Southern Motorway
Encyclopedia
The Christchurch Southern Motorway is a short motorway that forms part of State Highway 73
in the south west of Christchurch
, New Zealand. At its eastern end it connects to Brougham Street and at its western end it merges north onto Curletts Road and ends at Blenheim Road. The Curletts Road section is a four lane dual carriageway, but most of the rest of its length consists of a normal two lane non-median road.
The motorway will be extended west from Curletts Road, travelling parallel to Wigram Road before turning to meet Halswell Junction Road at the Springs Road roundabout. A full interchange will be built at Curletts Road, with underpasses built at Aidanfield Drive and Dunbars Road. At the western end, a new terminating roundabout will be built, linking the motorway into Halswell Junction Road. The adjacent existing Springs Road roundabout will be upgraded, with the disconnection of Wilmers Road from the roundabout to form a safer four-leg roundabout. A cycleway will be built and run the length of the motorway on both sides.
North of Springs Road, Halswell Junction Road will be upgraded to form a two-lane undivided link from the motorway to State Highway 1 at Islington. This includes replacing the roundabout at Shands Road with traffic lights.
The project is expected to be completed by 2013, despite being affected by the 2010
and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes while under construction. The earthquakes caused no direct damage to the construction, but the alignment had to resurveyed after each earthquake.
A possible future extension of the motorway, currently being designated as Stage 2, would further extend the motorway west from the Springs Road junction to meet State Highway 1 at Robinsons Road, south of Templeton
. This would include an overpass over Halswell Junction Road and Springs Road (the stage 1 connection will be removed), a full interchange at Shands Road, and a half interchange at Main South Road (SH 1). To give traffic from the motorway a clear run-out, Main South Road would be widened to four lanes as far as Rolleston.
|-
|-
! Territorial authority
! Location
! km
! Destination
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="6"| Christchurch
| Addington
|
| Barrington Street (south) – Barrington, Cashmere
SH 73
Brougham Street – City Centre
, Lyttelton
Barrington Street (north) – Addington
| Motorway ends
to be upgraded to diamond interchange with addition of flyover in 2013.
|-
| Middleton
|
| SH 75
Curletts Road (south)– Halswell
, Akaroa
SH 73
Curletts Road (north) – Upper Riccarton
, Airport
, West Coast
|Motorway ends as of 2010
T-intersection, to be upgraded to diamond interchange in 2013
|-
| rowspan=3| Hornby South
|
| Halswell Junction Road – Halswell
| Motorway ends as of 2013
Opens 2013 – Three-way roundabout
|-
|
| Springs Road (south) – Prebbleton, Lincoln
Springs Road (north) – Wigram, Sockburn
| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way roundabout
|-
|
| Shands Road (south) – Springston, Leeston, Southbridge
Shands Road (south) – Hornby, Airport
| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way roundabout, to be upgraded to signalised intersection in 2013.
|-
| Islington
|
|
SH 1 Main South Road (south) – Rolleston
, Timaru
Halswell Junction Road – Islington
SH 1 Main South Road (north) – Hornby
| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way signalised intersection
New Zealand State Highway 73
State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island State Highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Greymouth/Hokitika on the west coast via the Southern Alps...
in the south west of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand. At its eastern end it connects to Brougham Street and at its western end it merges north onto Curletts Road and ends at Blenheim Road. The Curletts Road section is a four lane dual carriageway, but most of the rest of its length consists of a normal two lane non-median road.
2010 upgrade
A $110m upgrade of the Southern Motorway began in March 2010. The existing motorway between the Lincoln Road overbridge and Curletts Road will be widened to four lanes by building a new westbound carriageway, with the existing single carriageway being used for eastbound traffic. East of the Lincoln Road overbridge, a new flyover will be built linking the motorway directly to Brougham Street, creating a grade-separated junction with Barrington Street.The motorway will be extended west from Curletts Road, travelling parallel to Wigram Road before turning to meet Halswell Junction Road at the Springs Road roundabout. A full interchange will be built at Curletts Road, with underpasses built at Aidanfield Drive and Dunbars Road. At the western end, a new terminating roundabout will be built, linking the motorway into Halswell Junction Road. The adjacent existing Springs Road roundabout will be upgraded, with the disconnection of Wilmers Road from the roundabout to form a safer four-leg roundabout. A cycleway will be built and run the length of the motorway on both sides.
North of Springs Road, Halswell Junction Road will be upgraded to form a two-lane undivided link from the motorway to State Highway 1 at Islington. This includes replacing the roundabout at Shands Road with traffic lights.
The project is expected to be completed by 2013, despite being affected by the 2010
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes while under construction. The earthquakes caused no direct damage to the construction, but the alignment had to resurveyed after each earthquake.
A possible future extension of the motorway, currently being designated as Stage 2, would further extend the motorway west from the Springs Road junction to meet State Highway 1 at Robinsons Road, south of Templeton
Templeton, New Zealand
Templeton is a small town on the outskirts of Christchurch but part of the Selwyn District. It lies on State Highway 1. It has been the centre of harness racing in Canterbury with many famous names such as Devine, Nyan, Butt, Jones and Carmichael among its people.Its European history goes to over...
. This would include an overpass over Halswell Junction Road and Springs Road (the stage 1 connection will be removed), a full interchange at Shands Road, and a half interchange at Main South Road (SH 1). To give traffic from the motorway a clear run-out, Main South Road would be widened to four lanes as far as Rolleston.
Exit list
{| class="wikitable"|-
|-
! Territorial authority
! Location
! km
! Destination
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="6"| Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
| Addington
Addington, New Zealand
Addington is a major suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is sited south-west of the city centre.-Description:The suburb was named for the country residence of Bishop John Sumner, one of the leading members of the Canterbury Association....
|
| Barrington Street (south) – Barrington, Cashmere
SH 73New Zealand State Highway 73
State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island State Highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Greymouth/Hokitika on the west coast via the Southern Alps...
Brougham Street – City Centre
Christchurch Central City
Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the four avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green...
, Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
Barrington Street (north) – Addington
| Motorway ends
to be upgraded to diamond interchange with addition of flyover in 2013.
|-
| Middleton
|
| SH 75
New Zealand State Highway 75
State Highway 75 is a State Highway in New Zealand servicing the Banks Peninsula region, connecting Christchurch on the northwestern part of the peninsula with Akaroa towards the east coast. It is wholly two lane , but partially functions as a major arterial corridor of Christchurch...
Curletts Road (south)– Halswell
Halswell
Halswell is a satellite town of Christchurch, New Zealand, located in open country nine kilometres southwest of the city centre on State Highway 75...
, Akaroa
Akaroa
Akaroa is a village on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name—the name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for 'Long Harbour'.- Overview :...
SH 73New Zealand State Highway 73
State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island State Highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Greymouth/Hokitika on the west coast via the Southern Alps...
Curletts Road (north) – Upper Riccarton
Upper Riccarton
Upper Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of Riccarton.Upper Riccarton is made up of residential, retail and education areas. It includes a major intersection known as "Church Corner"...
, Airport
Christchurch International Airport
-Facts & figures:As the gateway for Christchurch and the South Island, Christchurch International Airport is New Zealand’s second largest airport.5,908,077 passengers travelled in and out of Christchurch International Airport from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009...
, West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
|Motorway ends as of 2010
T-intersection, to be upgraded to diamond interchange in 2013
|-
| rowspan=3| Hornby South
|
| Halswell Junction Road – Halswell
| Motorway ends as of 2013
Opens 2013 – Three-way roundabout
|-
|
| Springs Road (south) – Prebbleton, Lincoln
Springs Road (north) – Wigram, Sockburn
| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way roundabout
|-
|
| Shands Road (south) – Springston, Leeston, Southbridge
Shands Road (south) – Hornby, Airport
| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way roundabout, to be upgraded to signalised intersection in 2013.
|-
| Islington
|
|
SH 1 Main South Road (south) – RollestonRolleston, New Zealand
Rolleston is a town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand.It is located next to State Highway 1, 22 km south-west of Christchurch on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. The town uses the slogan "The Town of the Future"...
, Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
Halswell Junction Road – Islington
SH 1 Main South Road (north) – Hornby| Becomes part of route in 2013
Four-way signalised intersection
External links
- Christchurch Southern Motorway project information ( Transit New Zealand)