Change is coming for Brougham St: time for a rethink
| Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Brougham Street, one of Christchurch’s busiest routes linking Addington to Opawa and the Lyttelton Tunnel, is getting a 21st century upgrade, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Thanks to Government funding from the NZ Upgrade Programme Canterbury package, up to $90 million is available to make Brougham St (SH76) safer and easier to use for the surrounding communities and its many different road users.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to upgrade this busy road, to improve safety, support more transport choices and make it a more reliable freight route to the Port of Lyttelton,” says Director Regional Relationships for Waka Kotahi James Caygill.
“The changes we’re proposing are relatively simple but they will be effective. They will make use of the existing road space to provide more reliable travel times at peak hours, encourage people to walk or bike on a new, safe shared path and build a pedestrian overbridge to get across Brougham Street, between Collins and Simeon Streets.”
The project has already benefited from road users’ and residents’ input and ideas. “Local people have helped shape this plan, but we’d like to check in one more time before we move to final design and construction,” says Mr Caygill.
Feedback is open now until Friday, 28 January 2022.
Video of the Brougham Street upgrade:
Map of the project area:
Key changes Waka Kotahi is proposing include:
Using the existing road space to create ‘T2’ lanes, to operate at peak times, with parking available in this lane outside of peak times.
An overbridge for pedestrians or people biking or scooting between Collins and Simeon Street.
A shared path along the south side of the road from Simeon Street to Opawa Road, joining up with existing paths like the Little River Link Major Cycle Route.
New plantings and trees, more than doubling the number of existing trees, to safely separate the shared path from the road.
Intersections will be upgraded right along Brougham Street. Traffic signals will be improved, turning arrows added and turning restrictions installed at some places to make it safer to get on and off Brougham Street. The traffic lights at Selwyn Street will allow priority for buses heading to the city centre.
Montreal St will get traffic signals to provide a better connection to the one-way system in the city, as well as adding safe crossing points for pedestrians.
Some smaller side streets will be closed with new cul-de-sacs to reduce short-cutting and support quieter, safer neighbourhoods.
The traffic lights at Colombo Street intersection will also help to prioritise buses, in preparation for future bus improvements.
The Gasson and Burlington Street intersection will have improved crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as turning restrictions to reduce the number of cars crossing the shared path.
A new signalised pedestrian crossing will be added near Wilsons Road.
Opawa Road intersection will be upgraded, with ‘hook turn boxes’ to help create a safe space for cyclists to turn in traffic.
