Key routes and local roads
Rolleston to Christchurch route options are:
- Rolleston Drive North to the flyover – turn right onto Jones Road, right onto Hoskyns Road and take the free left turn onto its own lane on the motorway.
- Levi Road to the interchange at Weedons Road.
- SH1/Dunns Crossing/Walkers Roads roundabout.
The new Dunns Crossing and Walkers Road roundabout will make this intersection with State Highway much safer and more efficient.
SH1 Rolleston access improvements network map [PDF, 262 KB]
Entry to Rolleston
The Weedons Interchange will be the main northern access to the industrial area for large trucks. It is anticipated other vehicles heading to the northern end of Rolleston will also use the interchange.
New signs on the motorway will indicate Weedons Interchange as the preferred route to the industrial area from Christchurch. These signs will make it clear to traffic heading to the industrial area that the Weedons Interchange provides this access. Similar signs to the south of Rolleston will direct traffic to turn left at the Dunns Crossing and Walkers Road roundabout on SH1 to access the industrial area.
Traffic heading to the industrial area from the north, who have not used the Weedons Interchange will have the option of exiting the state highway at Tennyson Street, left into Kidman Street and then left onto the flyover. Alternatively, they will use the Dunns Crossing roundabout and right into Walkers Road.
Vehicles from Christchurch will use the new offramp onto Rolleston Drive North or the left turns into Tennyson Street or Brookside Road to enter Rolleston township.
The roundabout at the Dunns Crossing and Walkers Road intersection with SH1 Walkers Road becomes the key southern freight route into and from the industrial area.
People going to residential areas and Rolleston township from the south will turn right at the roundabout and enter via Dunns Crossing Road and Brookside or Lowes Road.
Our planning has looked at the wider network and integrates with Selwyn District Council’s plans. The Council’s Draft 2024-2034 Long term Plan process allows the timing of local road improvements to be changed or new projects added, to ensure the whole transport system operates effectively. We are working collaboratively with the Council so local road improvements can align as plans for the highway progress.
Selwyn District Council has completed:
- upgrading the existing footpath on the east side of Dunns Crossing Road north of Burnham School Road to a 2.5m wide shared path
- upgrades to Walkers Road.
Their planned works include:
- lowering the speed limit outside the school to 30km/h with supporting signage, crossing platforms and road markings
- in the longer term, new traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Dunns Crossing and Burnham School Roads to control traffic and provide safer crossing points for tamariki/children and people using school facilities.
The Council has recently upgraded Walkers Road and plans to upgrade Two Chain Road to coincide with the highway improvements. This will include a new roundabout at Walkers/Two Chain Roads and a realigned rail level crossing onto Jones Road (near Wards and Jones Roads).
We’re expecting traffic to increase on Rolleston Drive North, Jones Road and Masefield Drive. These roads have been designed and built for more traffic.
Our plans for Rolleston have been designed to ensure good access for as many people and businesses as possible. We have made every effort to design around impacting people’s property and access. The plans do affect some businesses and property close to the proposed flyover and at SH1/Dunns Crossing/Walkers Roads intersection where a new roundabout will be constructed. We have had discussions with the most affected parties to understand their concerns and possible ways to reduce the impacts.
We're talking with directly affected people about anticipated property impacts and access for the flyover.
Traffic lights and congestion
The existing traffic signals are creating delays adding to people’s travel time and posing serious concerns for both road and rail safety.
The new traffic signals will be coordinated, with a free left turn onto the motorway from Hoskyns Road, so travel time reduces by around 1 to 2 minutes compared to the existing Rolleston Drive North and SH1 intersection.
The greatest gains will be for people travelling between the two sides of Rolleston. In the evening, delays travelling from industrial and business areas to the residential side via the flyover are expected to reduce by 5 to 10 minutes.
We have designed the flyover and traffic signals to provide a smooth flowing route for people traveling to the city.
The flyover has two lanes into the industrial/business side to accommodate the largest traffic flows and a single lane into the Rolleston residential/town side and includes a shared path on one side.
The overall flyover width is future-[proofed for an additional traffic lane if required.
