Project introduction

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is looking at providing bus lanes to increase bus reliability and improve bus journey times along SH75 Halswell Road between Dunbars and Curletts Roads.

A development with our SH75 Halswell Road improvements project

Our project designers and safety engineers have recommended that the proposed raised median from Augustine Drive/Monsaraz Boulevard to Curletts Road is extended from Augustine Drive/Monsaraz Boulevard through to Dunbars Road to reduce the risk of potential right turning crashes.

This follows further technical safety assessments and a review of the potential land use in the area. The continued residential growth in the south west suburbs and development of land along this section of Halswell Road likely to begin soon will add pressure to the roading environment. Finding a gap in the traffic to turn right from properties and streets will be increasingly challenging and dangerous.

The raised median creates a safer environment, and the safer way to turn right will be by using designated signalised intersections, including the new intersection with traffic lights proposed at Aidanfield Drive.

We appreciate this is a change in the proposal we shared with the community and wanted to let you know about this as soon as possible. We are also talking directly to the affected landowners along this stretch of Halswell Road.

If you have any questions about this, please email the project team: Halswell.Road@nzta.govt.nz

  • Project type

    Road improvements

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Background

Halswell Road is a State Highway and key public transport corridor which experiences significant transport delays during peak travel periods. It serves the south-west of Christchurch, an area undergoing significant residential growth.

Community engagement in late 2020 and 2021

In 2020 we asked the community for feedback about the stretch of Halswell Road between Dunbars and Curletts Roads. We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views and experiences. You can read more about the feedback in our summary engagement report.

Summary engagement report [PDF, 893 KB]

We then considered that feedback together with technical information to determine the best option to progress. We shared that emerging option with the community and asked for feedback from 8 April to 4 May 2021. (See 'Our emerging option' further down the page).

You can see what others had to say on our interactive online map.

View online feedback(external link) 

Or read more about the feedback in our Phase two summary engagement report.

Phase two summary engagement report – July 2021 [PDF, 12 MB]

This feedback will be considered together with ongoing investigations and help the project team finalise the design.

Our emerging option

What do we want to achieve

  • Reduced journey times and improved journey reliability for buses along Halswell Road, especially during busy peak travel periods
  • Improved safe and convenient access to bus stops
  • Improved comfort and convenience of public transport
  • Bus travel to be an easy choice for people travelling to the city centre from the south-west suburbs.

Key features

  • Bus priority, through bus lanes, to reduce delays and be more competitive with car travel time
  • Bus stops that are evenly distributed at about 400m spacing to improve accessibility
  • Bus stops located close to side-streets to maximise accessibility
  • Improved safety and crossing at key intersections for pedestrians
  • Improved road safety by removing right-turns from driveways and some side-streets
  • Improved road safety with 1.0m wide raised median strip along Halswell Road from Augustine Drive/Monsaraz Boulevard to Curletts Road
  • Integration with existing facilities such as schools and Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub, and the future development of commercial activities along Halswell Road
  • Ability to do U-turns at intersections with traffic lights to ensure safe access to the properties along Halswell Road.

What would need to happen

  • Removal of on-street car parking along parts of Halswell Road where on-street car parking is currently available.
    • This would enable the bus lanes to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and allow buses to travel along the bus lanes without the obstruction of parked cars.
    • This would help to achieve improved and more reliable bus journey times.
    • It would also be safer for cyclists using the bus lanes as they wouldn’t be exposed to the risk of opening car doors.
  • A change to the number 60 bus route.
    • The 1.0m wide raised median strip along Halswell Road, from Augustine Drive/Monsaraz Boulevard to Curletts Road, would prevent potentially unsafe right turns across multiple lanes. This would require rerouting the number 60 bus. We would recommend instead of travelling along Hendersons Road, the bus would travel along Rowley Avenue. The bus would have traffic lights at Rowley Avenue to safely turn onto and off Halswell Road.
      Number 60 bus route map showing proposed new route in orange and proposed removal of existing route in red
  • Tree removals and new trees planted along the southern side of Halswell Road, between Tankerville Road and Hendersons Road to widen the road for the bus lanes.
    • There are 135 trees along Halswell Road. About 36 trees would need to be removed between Hendersons Road and Tankerville Road and would be replaced with about 27 trees in broadly similar areas. Not all 36 trees could be replaced because some are in locations which don’t comply with safety design standards such as being too close to driveways, poles, bus stops and intersections.

Speed

A number of people raised the issue of speed along Halswell Road in their feedback. Speed is outside the scope of this project. However, through a separate project Waka Kotahi asked for feedback on a review of speeds along the SH73 and SH75 Christchurch to Akaroa route.

SH73 and SH75 Christchurch to Akaroa speed review page

NZ Upgrade Programme

This project is part of the NZ Upgrade Programme, the Government's $8.7 billion investment in growing communities across the country.

Communities can look forward to transport improvements that provide more travel choices, help people get where they’re going safely and grow our economy, while responding to the impacts of travel on the environment.

NZ Upgrade Programme

SH75 Halswell Road improvements NZ Upgrade Programme logo

Complementary Christchurch City Council projects

Waka Kotahi is working closely with Christchurch City Council which has allocated budget for public transport improvements along Lincoln Road. The first phase of the improvements is along Lincoln Road, from Moorhouse Avenue through the Addington Village to Whiteleigh Avenue. The Council is also proposing a second phase of improvements along Lincoln Road from Wrights Road to Curletts Road.

Waka Kotahi and Christchurch City Council are working together on these projects and are seeking complementary outcomes along the entirety of the south-west corridor to ensure seamless bus journeys for customers.

Lincoln Road improvements(external link)