Heathcote cycleway to remain open for now

KiwiRail has agreed to Christchurch City Council pausing the closure of the 1.5km section of the Puari ki Kahukura Heathcote Expressway between Vaila Place and Truscotts Road. How long the cycleway will remain open for is yet to be confirmed.  

Gates were due to be locked from Thursday 14 November until significant upgrades are installed after KiwiRail told the Council the Scruttons Road rail crossing was unsafe for ongoing use.  

KiwiRail requested the cycleway be closed and noted their options including closure of the crossing if the Council did not comply.  

However, today KiwiRail said it would seek to continue discussions with the Council about the requested closure date of the cycleway and move this date to a later, to be confirmed, date. 

“We will keep working closely with KiwiRail on this project and gain clarity for the community as to how long the cycleway will remain open for,” Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Jacob Bradbury said.  

Scruttons Road rail crossing.

The closure was discussed at an adjourned Council meeting today and Acting Mayor Pauline Cotter said it’s important the Council and KiwiRail work collaboratively together.  

“We want to get this right to make sure everyone is as safe as possible whether they’re using the road, a cycleway, footpath or going over a rail crossing,” she said.   

“We’re planning to write to the KiwiRail Board and Ministers regarding changes to policy or legislation so they can consider the boarder transport network when making decisions on level crossings.”  

“We’ll also look to meet with the Board to discuss the situation at Scruttons Road, as well as the wider city network, at a governance-to-governance level,” she said.  

During construction of the Heathcote Expressway, 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. 

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

After the cycleway opened an updated safety assessment was done and the method for assessing risk to cyclists and pedestrians changed, which resulted in placing it as a higher risk than the earlier assessment. 

“The Council has been working towards a permanent upgrade of this railway crossing and we fully support making crossings as safe as possible for all users,” Mr Bradbury said. 

“We understand there has been frustration in the community and we will keep the public updated as we work with KiwiRail on next steps.” 

The cost of the upgrades has escalated to $7.2 million for the full extent of the work to both to KiwiRail rail crossing and Council road.   

“We have made it clear to KiwiRail that these costs were much higher than what we had budgeted, and staff would need to secure additional budget through the Annual Plan. Any funding decision sits with the Mayor and Councillors,” Mr Bradbury said. 

The Council is expecting it will take at least 18 to 24 months to upgrade the crossing. However, this is dependent on the cost estimate, availability to close the railway line, final design approvals and budget.  

“As well as working with KiwiRail on a closure date, we’ll also keep working with them on design and confirmation of costs,” he said.  

Find out more on our Cycling Maps website.