McLeans Island Road will tomorrow night be re-opened at the intersection with Johns Road (State Highway 1).
Work at the intersection began five months ago as part of upgrading State Highway 1, from Hornby through to Belfast, into a four-lane highway, to be known as the Western Corridor.
From tomorrow, traffic movements at the intersection will be permanently limited to left turns into McLeans Island Road by vehicles travelling north on Johns Road and left turns out of McLeans Island Road for vehicles wanting to travel north on Johns Road.
There will no longer be right-hand turns into or out of McLeans Island Road, says the NZ Transport Agency's Highway Manager Christchurch Colin Knaggs.
"Traffic on this section of State Highway 1 is currently running at capacity for a two-lane highway. There are concerns that in re-opening McLeans Island Road to traffic turning left into Johns Road could result in delays along the highway.
"We will be monitoring traffic flows along Johns Road next week and are warning motorists we may have to close off the left turning option out of McLeans Island Road into Johns Road until February next year when Johns Road will re-open as a four-lane highway."
Mr Knaggs says Johns Road is an important arterial, carrying 25,000 vehicles a day, and it's important we not only keep traffic flowing along the state highway but that we maintain the highest standards of safety for all road users until the Western Corridor is completed.
The Western Corridor is part of the Christchurch Motorways project, three roading corridors on the city's boundary that link the Christchurch Airport, the Lyttelton Port of Christchurch and the Central City, supporting the rebuild and economic growth of the region.
The Western Corridor is expected to be completed in 2018. "Work on this project is progressing to schedule with minimal disruption to highway traffic. This is a great outcome in keeping the residents of Christchurch moving."
