2013–14 project consenting
A notice of requirement and resource consent applications for this project were lodged with the Christchurch City Council (CCC) and Environment Canterbury (ECan) who jointly notified the applications on Wednesday 20 November 2013. Submissions needed to be with the councils by 18 December 2013. Eighteen submissions were received and a hearing was held in May 2014. The appointed commissioner reported back and the Transport Agency accepted all the recommendations made by the commissioner.
What consenting was needed?
There was a designation in place for the four-laning of Russley Road but it is not wide enough for the interchange. This is because road safety standards have changed since the designation was put in place. An alteration to the designation was needed and resource consents from Environment Canterbury were also required for stormwater discharges and construction works.
Open day resources
- Summary of feedback [PDF, 744 KB]
- Harewood Road [PDF, 582 KB]
- Memorial Avenue [PDF, 3.6 MB]
- Wairakei Road [PDF, 2.2 MB]
- Wairakei and Avonhead conflict point [PDF, 201 KB]
- Western airport bypass [PDF, 272 KB]
- Southern airport access [PDF, 10 MB]
- Social impact assessment summary [PDF, 936 KB]
- Traffic impact assessment [PDF, 782 KB]
Consultation in 2013
We consulted the public on the Southern Airport Access as this was a new facility introduced as a result of feedback after our first round consultation. This gave affected parties and the public the opportunity to give us feedback on these plans.
September 2012 consultation
Reporting back on the changes we made to the project
We worked closely with the Christchurch City Council, the airport, key stakeholders and the local community to come up with the best plans for our future. We made a number of changes to the plans for Russley Road in line with the feedback we received.
These changes were presented at an open day, a press conference and in a newsletter in October 2012. The open day allowed more detailed information to be displayed and feedback could be given to project staff or on a feedback form provided at the venue.
We also completed a transport impact assessment (TIA) and a social impact assessment (SIA) to help measure the likely effects of this highway plan on the local area. The findings of these studies have also helped shape our decision making.
Changes for Russley Road
In response to this feedback we made changes to plans for Russley Road. The main changes we made were:
- increased access at Wairakei
- a new access to the airport area from the south
- an upgraded Harewood Road roundabout
- a cycle and pedestrian underpass at Harewood Road
- a local road western airport bypass has been made possible.
Here also is our September 2012 project newsletter [PDF, 582 KB], which outlines the changes we made to our plans to address, where possible, the feedback we received.
March to December 2010
In March and November/December 2010 The NZ Transport Agency asked for feedback on the Russley Road (SH1)/Memorial Avenue interchange and the Russley Road (SH1) four-laning from Wairakei to Yaldhurst.
This consultation closed in December 2010 – these documents are for information only.
A project open day was held on Tuesday 30 November at the Russley Golf Course. Transport Agency staff and the project consultants were available at this open day to discuss the details of the project.
A summary of the feedback received
Feedback from the Nov/Dec 2010 round of consultation was analysed and considered in depth. The most common questions and concerns were as follows:
- Nearly everyone believed that it was vital for SH1 to be upgraded as traffic volumes are already causing major hold ups at peak times.
- There was general support for an interchange solution at Memorial Avenue.
- Many stakeholders including the council, airport, businesses and emergency services did not want to see airport access reduced to only two locations (Memorial Avenue and Harewood Road).
- Property owners had concerns about how they will get to and from their properties.
- Local businesses were concerned customers and suppliers may find access difficult and wanted access to Russley Road and the airport area to remain.
- Local residents, community groups and schools voiced concerns about the increased traffic volumes on local roads.
- Cyclists were concerned about access across and along Russley Road.
- Emergency services wanted to make sure access to the airport area would not be compromised.
- Many people wanted to know why we didn’t put SH1 behind the Airport.
(Thank you once again to those who provided feedback or took part in this process.)
