The New Zealand Transport Agency says new traffic lights on the SH 74 QEI1/Drive Marshlands road intersection will be switched on at 9 am this Saturday (14 July 2012).
Work on the $3.5 million project started in December 2011.
NZ Transport Agency State Highways Manager Colin Knaggs says the upgrade will be welcomed by those who use this highway, especially heavy vehicle operators, as it is the main route to Lyttelton via the tunnel. Having this highway operating as efficiently as possible is important, as it carries much of the road freight needed to grow the Canterbury economy.
“This was a challenging job, with the contractor having work in an extremely busy traffic environment on a main traffic artery for Christchurch’s eastern suburbs that is carrying a lot more vehicles since the February 2011 quake.”
Colin Knaggs says a small amount of finishing off work needs to be carried out around the upgraded intersection and this should be completed in the next week or two. Road users are urged to take care driving through the new intersection layout until they familiar with it.
A few days are likely to be needed to fine tune the signals to ensure they are working as effectively as they can. We ask motorists to be patient while this work is being carried out as it may cause some minor delays Mr Knaggs said.
