Cycle route work will close 'missing link'

Work is underway in Papanui to close a small gap in a major cycleway project.

The project on Restell St, near the Harewood Rd intersection, will connect two sections of existing cycleway alongside the Northern Line railway.

The work, being carried out by Christchurch City Council contractor Isaac Construction, will take three months. Part of Restell St will be closed to traffic for about six weeks, meaning traffic can no longer turn left from Harewood Rd into Restell St. 

The 200 metres of new cycleway will join together two other sections of cycle path already built from Matai St to Harewood Rd, and from Restell St to Tuckers Rd.
Council Project Manager Brendan Bisley said the new section would extend this section of cycle path, which is part of the Northern Line, and provide cyclists with a safer route for crossing Harewood Rd.

It would also tidy up the area, with new kerbs and channels being built, and the car parking area being formalised. “The work will be sympathetic to the old Papanui Railway Station in the area which is a protected heritage building,” Mr Bisley said.

“It’s good news for cyclists because we’re finishing a missing link that is key to getting the route continuous. It’s the start of work on the Northern Line extension.”

When it is completed in 2019, the Northern Line cycleway will provide a shared path from Belfast through to South Hagley Park.