Heathcote cycleway to be closed

A 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway cycleway is being closed until rail upgrades are completed.

KiwiRail has told Christchurch City Council the Scruttons Road railway crossing on the Puari ki Kahukura Heathcote Expressway is unsafe for ongoing use, following an updated safety assessment.

The cycleway will be closed from 14 November 2024 between Vaila Place and Truscotts Road until automatic pedestrian/cycle gates and half arm barriers are installed.

“We have been working with KiwiRail on options to avoid the closure, however its position remains that the safety risk to cyclists and pedestrians is too high, and the cycleway must be closed until the crossing is brought up to KiwiRail’s standard,” Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Jacob Bradbury said.

It is anticipated to be closed at least 18 to 24 months. However, this is dependent on the cost estimate, availability to close the railway line, final design approvals and securing additional budget through the Annual Plan.

“Because this particular section of railway is one of the busiest in the South Island, with about 35 trains using the double tracks each day, it is very difficult to secure a block of line closure to complete the work, which is why we’re anticipating the closure will have to be in place for quite some time,” Mr Bradbury said.

The cost of upgrading the railway crossing was originally estimated by KiwiRail to be $2 million but it has informed the Council that this has escalated to $6.5 million for additional signalling capacity to control the automatic gates, arm barriers and other safety features.

“We made it clear to KiwiRail that these costs were considerably higher than anticipated, and we need to secure further budget through the Annual Plan,” Mr Bradbury said.

“We are currently working through this process with elected members and any decision on funding will sit with the Mayor and councillors.”

During the cycleway’s construction, KiwiRail informed the Council it did not have the resource to support the railway crossing upgrade in time for the December 2023 opening date of the route.

At the time a temporary fix was agreed to, including adding chicanes where the cycleway meets Scruttons Road, as well as additional flashing lights and bells.

An updated safety assessment was done after the cycleway opened which took into account the actual numbers using the railway crossing and temporary safety measures but the method for assessing risk to cyclists and pedestrians has changed and is now significantly higher than in the earlier assessment.

“Throughout the process the Council has always been working towards a permanent upgrade of this railway crossing. We fully support making crossings as safe as possible for all users,” Mr Bradbury said.

“However, KiwiRail has made its position clear that the cycleway must be closed until we complete the permanent work. We know people who use this facility will be disappointed and we thank people for their patience while we work through the process.”