Better streets & spaces  |  29 Mar 2019

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Sumner Road will open to traffic this evening for the first time since the earthquakes.

The two-and-a-half year project to reinstate Sumner Road has been completed and there is once more a direct road link between the communities of Lyttelton and Sumner.

“Reinstating this road has been a massive undertaking,’’ says Christchurch City Council Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Lynette Ellis.

“Sumner Road was very badly damaged when tonnes of rock came tumbling down in the earthquakes, but before we could begin rebuilding it we had to do significant work to reduce the rockfall risk along the route.

“Our lead contractor McConnell Dowell and their subcontractors have done a great job to complete this complex work and to rebuild the road on time and within budget.

“I’m sure the communities of Sumner and Lyttelton will be delighted to have the road reopened. It will also be a game changer for trucking companies moving freight in and out of the Port of Lyttelton.

“It will make moving over-dimension freight to and from the port much easier and it will mean no more dangerous good convoys though the Lyttelton road tunnel,’’ Ms Ellis says.

Vehicles will be allowed on Sumner Road from 6pm today. A 30kmh speed limit will be in place until people get used to the new road alignment and the roading surface settles.

Permanent no parking restrictions have been installed along all but the Lyttelton end of Sumner Road. However, vehicles will be able to stop at the lookouts at Windy Point and Evans Pass.

“We know how much cyclists are looking forward to being able to ride Sumner Road again and we expect lots of people will want to bike along the road over the coming weeks.  The road has little or no shoulder so cyclists will need to take care and adhere to the 30kmh speed limit,’’ Ms Ellis says.

“While there is no law against people walking along Sumner Road, we strongly urge people not to because they will be putting themselves and other road users at risk. Lots of over-sized and dangerous good vehicles will be travelling on the road and there is simply no room for pedestrians.’’

The work on Sumner Road was jointly funded by the Council and the NZ Transport Agency.