There were smiles beaming from a new subway on Winters Road, Redwood, today as Papanui Primary School pupils made their way through for the first time. The subway goes underneath the new Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC). The new subway structure is now complete, apart from some finishing touches, and opened this morning (Monday, 2 July).
Papanui Primary pupils with principal Paul Kingston (rear) were amongst the first to cycle through the new Winters Road subway today. The orange dividing fence is temporary while the floor and ceiling work is finished and entrance bollards are installed for cyclists’ safety.
QEII Drive shared path users will need to use subway.
Cyclists and pedestrians on the QEII Drive shared path will need to use the Winters Road subway from today as a temporary diversion route as the path between Grimseys Road and Winters Road on QEII Drive will be permanently closed, says Colin MacKay, Portfolio Manager, NZ Transport Agency.
The CNC Alliance team is now starting the construction of the QEII Drive highway interchange. Once the interchange and motorway is complete there will be a new shared path that also uses the Winters Road subway as a safe and quick route to connect the two suburbs.
”The Winters Road area will have its easy and safe walking and biking access restored, after this part of Winters Road was permanently closed in February 2017,” says Mr MacKay. “The cycle and pedestrian tunnel/underpass on Winters Road provides for quick access to Grimseys Road, Cranford Street and the QEII Drive shared path.
“A key innovation of the CNC urban design for the new subways is the ‘tilted walls’. The widened profile increases the sense of space and atmosphere for cyclists and pedestrians. Light colour and pattern treatments have been used for the internal walls and ceilings of the subway to also provide a sense of space, safety and amenity. The final light fixtures in the ceiling space and a new surface on the floor will complete the structure later this year.”
Papanui Primary School and St Bede’s College students will be regular users of the subway. A shared pedestrian and cycle path will run the entire length of the CNC and will cross the Styx River on a separated pedestrian/cycle bridge and the Waimakariri River on a new clip-on lane attached to the Northern Motorway Bridge.
During the CNC project construction period, the Hills Road and Grimseys Road subways will also receive an upgrade. As well as the Winters Road subway there is also a second new subway to be constructed under the motorway off-ramp at Belfast Road.
Work on the northern motorway project continues for two more years to mid-2020.
Thanks to Subway Papanui for providing cookies as spot prizes.
Read more about the CNC project here: www.nzta.govt.nz/cnc
