New northern motorway readied for opening
Christchurch City Council Newsline: 24th November 2020
Vehicles will be able to travel on Christchurch’s newest motorway from Monday 30th November 2020.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is going to partially open the 10-kilometre long Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) to help bed in the chip seal surface ahead of opening all four lanes of the motorway and the adjoining shared path in mid December.
One traffic lane in each direction will be open from Monday 30th November to Friday 11th December. Northbound traffic can choose the CNC as an option between 7am and 4pm, southbound traffic can be on the CNC between 10am and 6pm.
A temporary 50km/h speed limit will be in place due to the loose gravel. Depending on the road condition, this may be increased to 70km/h. The lanes will shift during the day so that the traffic beds in all four lanes.
Waka Kotahi are planning an open day on Saturday 12th December (between 2 and 6pm) where people will be able to walk or cycle on the motorway.
After the open day, the motorway will be closed to allow the finishing touches to be put on it ahead of its full opening on Thursday 17th December 2020.
The CNC extends the Northern Motorway through to QEII Drive and Cranford Street and is designed to make travel times in and out of Christchurch shorter. It has been built at a cost of $290 million.
Find out more about the Christchurch Northern Corridor project.