There will be additional traffic in the St Albans, Edgeware and Mairehau areas when the Christchurch Northern Corridor opens. We're planning how we manage this traffic and reduce the number of vehicles travelling along the route.

The Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) will help people to travel to and from the north of Christchurch.

The CNC extends the Northern Motorway to connect QEII Drive and Cranford Street, through to Innes Road. Further information about this project is available on the NZ Transport Agency website(external link).

An independent traffic expert has prepared a plan to help manage the additional traffic when the CNC opens. You can read an overview of the full plan at Have Your Say(external link).

Council decision

Following consultation Council agreed to proceed with developing a programme of work including intersection upgrades, traffic calming and reduced speed limit areas at their meeting on 13 June. Further consultation with the public will be undertaken regarding these changes. 

This work is part of a wider package of transport projects aimed at improving travel to and from northern Christchurch including upgrading the bus network to provide express buses and park and ride facilities, introducing high occupancy vehicle lanes to encourage car pooling, and developing our existing cycle network.

The Council has also asked staff to investigate and report back to the Infrastructure, Transport and Environment Committee on:

  • the establishment of a park and ride facility near QEII Drive
  • pricing mechanisms to manage future traffic demand
  • the possibility of introducing north and south-bound peak-time bus lanes on Cranford and Sherborne streets

Read more about the decision on Newsline.(external link)

The plan prepared by the independent traffic expert was informed by public engagement with the community in 2018 and seeks to balance the needs of local communities with safety and accessibility considerations, while ensuring an accessible city for all Christchurch residents, businesses and visitors.

The plan recommends changes to the arterial and local road networks.

Some of the other recommendations in the draft Plan include encouraging ride sharing, the use of public transport and active transport. These require work to happen outside of the area considered by the plan.

The Christchurch Northern Corridor and the Downstream Effects Management Plan are also part of a wider package of transport projects to improve travel to and from northern Christchurch.

Other projects include the Main North Road bus priority (still to be constructed), Western Belfast bypass, Papanui Parallel cycleway and Northern Line cycleway (still to be constructed).