Transport options  |  27 Mar 2023

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Christchurch City Council is about to ramp up its resurfacing programme around the city.

And this year, a large number of the roads which have been selected for repair have come straight from residents. 

“Through the Living in Christchurch survey late last year, we received a lot of feedback about the areas people used the most, and would like to see them repaired,” City Streets Maintenance Manager Steve Guy says.

“We cross referenced these streets with our own records, specifically where we have known faults, already programmed for repair, aged surfaces that have a lack of surface texture, and completed Three Waters works, and pulled together a list of areas that cover the entire city.

“This has meant we’ve brought forward some resurfacing sites by a year or two to better meet the needs of our residents, whilst also managing our road network in an efficient manner. In particular we will be completing a lot of work in the city’s east, including Bromley and New Brighton, as well as central and north-west.”

Mr Guy says the Council is aiming to get as much work done as possible before the weather stops us from continuing.

“We know the condition of our roads is important to residents, and as we have publicised the roads that are going to be resurfaced this season, we need to do what we have said we will do.”

“There have been a few challenges, like the wet weather, which have slowed down delivery so far, but by working collaboratively with our maintenance contractors, we’ve secured additional resources from all across the country to help us deliver our programme,” Mr Guy says.

“This means that for the next month residents can expect to see an increase in activity, so we’re asking people to be patient. Where we are chipsealing the road surface, there will be some loose chip around, which is completely normal.”

“We will be doing everything we can to mitigate this, which is why we have been using new products to reduce the amount of chip loss from the road surface,” Mr Guy says.

There will also be a number of streets where we are rejuvenating the existing surface, and this won’t require chip to be laid.

Mr Guy says this is a faster operation, but will still see the use of similar machinery on the streets.

“The key message is that there will be many roadworks around, so please be patient and drive to the speed limits, as this will not only keep the workers safe so they can return home to their families, but also reduce the possibility of chip from being flicked up from the road surface,” he says.

Check the road resurfacing map for all the planned work on our website here.