Road and rail upgrades happening in Papanui, Bishopdale

A package of work to upgrade a busy intersection and railway level crossings will improve safety in the city’s north-west.

Traffic lights are being installed at the intersection of Greers and Langdons roads, and work to upgrade the railway crossings on Harewood and Langdons roads is about to start.

Planning and Delivery Transport Manager Jacob Bradbury said there will be a lot of disruption throughout the Papanui and Bishopdale area from now until mid-December.

“We’re staging the works and coordinating traffic management across the projects to minimise the impact on the wider area,” Mr Bradbury said. 

The Council is working with KiwiRail to carry out critical renewal works and to install signalised pedestrian crossings and other upgrades at the railway crossings. KiwiRail renewals at the Harewood Road crossing include the replacement of the train tracks and foundations.

“These works will ensure the long-term resilience of the railway crossing, so it can withstand the high volumes of traffic that use it.

The Northern Line cycleway runs along the rail corridor and signalised crossings will make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to cross.

“The Northern Line cycleway also runs along the rail corridor, so the signalised crossings will make it safer and easier for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as school students, to get across the busy roads,” Mr Bradbury said.

The Harewood Road railway crossing will be closed for three weeks from Saturday 7 September. In October there will be a mixture of day/night and night closures at the Langdons Road crossing, and both crossings will have periods of stop/go traffic management.

Meanwhile, construction is underway on the Langdons and Greers Road intersection upgrade and a temporary one-way system is in place on part of Langdons Road. Traffic lights are being installed to accommodate the influx of traffic since businesses have opened and expanded.

“There are now almost 30,000 people travelling through here each day, so having lights will make it safer and easier for turning traffic, pedestrians and cyclists,” Mr Bradbury said.

“If you’re travelling through this area, please be patient. Our contractors will be doing their best to mitigate the impacts on drivers and help with traffic flow, but there will be unavoidable delays.

“As always, we want to thank residents and businesses for their understanding,” he said.

A crossing upgrade on Sawyers Arms Road is planned for early 2025. The new signalised pedestrian crossings will be commissioned after work at all three railway crossings is complete.

Find more information on work in Bishopdale and Papanui here.