Major intersection works start in St Albans

Work is getting under way on upgrading two busy St Albans intersections.

The upgrades of the Cranford Street/Westminster Street and the Forfar Street/Warrington Street intersections are part of a package of roading projects Christchurch City Council is planning to complete in the St Albans, Edgeware and Mairehau areas before the new Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) opens.

Work is also restarting on the Barbadoes Street/Warrington Street intersection, the Cranford Street/Berwick Street intersection and replacing the water main along Cranford Street and Sherborne Street.

The improvements will contribute to better connections for people travelling through these areas when the CNC opens and into the future, as well as providing safe walking and biking routes to retain a sense of community.

For the next four weeks Westminster Street will be closed at both sides of the Cranford Street intersection at all times of the day and night. Detours will be in place and only limited on-street parking will be available.

“We know this road closure will cause some inconvenience but closing the road now allows our contractor to speed-up the overall project delivery time by about a month,’’ says Christchurch City Council Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Lynette Ellis.

Work will also begin this week on upgrading the intersection of Forfar and Warrington streets. The upgrade, which is expected to take about four months, will see Forfar Street permanently closed on the north side of the intersection, making it a three-leg intersection.

Contractors will begin by removing the roundabout and traffic islands. They will temporarily reinstate the asphalt before starting work on putting in new drains and kerb and channel on the east side of the intersection. This work will take about six weeks.

The second stage of the intersection upgrade involves laying new drains, installing new kerb and channel, and replacing the footpath on the west side of the intersection. In the third and final stage of the project, works will be completed on the north side of the intersection. At this point Forfar Street, north of the intersection, will be permanently closed.

New asphalt will then be laid across all sides of the upgraded intersection.

“Our contractors will be working to get these intersection upgrades completed as quickly as possible because we know it will be disruptive for local resident and businesses. If you’re travelling through the area please be patient and follow any temporary detours that may be in place,’’ Ms Ellis says.

Work is also under way on an environmental monitoring programme that will collect data on air quality, noise and vibratiosn from a variety of different sites. This will provide baseline levels to compare against when the Christchurch Northern Corridor opens.