An update on the Woolston Village Upgrade 

Kia ora from Woolston Village Upgrade team.
It’s week four of construction and works are progressing steadily. During Alert Level 2, we will continue to work, with additional health and safety measures in place to keep our crew safe. We’re working on several locations around Woolston Village to renew the underground sewer network. Next week we need to close both lanes in St Johns Street to allow our drainage teams space to ramp up de-watering work in this area. This wasn't part of the original plan, but unfortunately the ground is so wet in this area that it would take months to lay the pipe while keeping one lane open. You'll still be able to access the supermarket from Ferry Road or Glenroy Street and access the Church from Ferry Road.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding while we upgrade Woolston Village.

Road closure - St Johns Street

Multiple teams make short work

Work is gearing up - we now have four teams working in Woolston Village.

1. The team replacing the sewer pipe on Ferry Road (currently working past St Anne’s Church)
2. The team replacing the sewer pipe on St Johns Street
3. The roading and streetscaping team removing the old kerb and channel (gutter) and footpath alongside the Ferry Road team
4. The pipe lining team working at night to line the sub-main in the footpath on the southern side of Ferry Road and the lateral pipes which connect it to the main.

What's coming up next

Sewer, roading and streetscaping works

Over the next two weeks, the roading and streetscaping team will continue removing the kerb and channel and footpath on Ferry Road between St Johns Street and St Anne’s School. They’ll also do some more potholing (day works) to identify underground services and will put up some signage directing people driving to the free car parking behind the community library. 

The team replacing the sewer pipe on Ferry Road will finish soon next to St Anne’s School.
We had planned for this team to go back to the intersection of St Johns Street and Ferry Road and start laying the new pipe west, however we’ve discovered telecommunications cables above the planned location of the new pipe, so while our engineers are working on a solution to get around this, this team will start work elsewhere.

Love Woolston, Shop Local

We understand that parts of these works will be disruptive to local businesses and will be taking steps to make things as easy as possible.  

As part of this, we’re running a marketing campaign encouraging people to “shop local” and support their local businesses during the upgrade.

You may have seen our ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ advertisements and posters in community newspapers and on billboards along busy routes. Keep it “local” and support your community!

Bakery owners back their community

Husband and wife team Srey and Lim own and operate the Bakery & Coffee On Ferry.
We asked them what they love best about Woolston.

Srey says: “Easy - my customers and my neighbours!”

“The roadworks are a little disruptive, but when its finished, the Village is going to look great."

Support for local businesses

You may have seen some ‘Open for Business’ and ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ posters hanging in shop windows around the Village. If you'd like some for your business, you can download and print them off from our webpage, or contact Haidee to have some dropped off.

Regional Business Partners Network

ChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, is working in partnership with Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce to provide COVID-19 response services via the Government’s Regional Business Partner (RBP) network. Through the RBP, business owners can access up to $5,000 per business from the Government’s COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund. For more information, visit their website or phone 0800 505 096.

Where to park during the upgrade

There will be no on street parking along Ferry Road through Woolston Village from Portmans Street to St Anne’s School while this work is happening. If you or your customers usually park on the road, we recommend parking in the Council-owned car park off Portman Street or try the off-street parking on Glenroy Street. Check out our parking map here.

Answering your questions

We’ve been asked a few questions when out and about talking to people, and thought we’d share them with you in case you’re wondering the same things.

Whether you're wondering where to catch the bus, the best place to park your car, why parts of this work are so noisy and why we have road cones outside the shops, we have answers for you.

Can these works be delayed - we've already been hit hard by COVID 19

The wastewater pipes under this road have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced urgently. The road surface has also deteriorated and needs to be repaired. Combining the two projects at this time means we can complete this important work quickly with minimal disruption for businesses and residents.

Why aren’t you doing the works the way you said you would?

Unfortunately the nature of working beneath ground is that unexpected things often happen and occasionally things go wrong. Fortunately for (most) civil engineers, this complexity is one of the things they enjoy about their work. When unexpected things happen, we need to keep our teams working. This is why work may stop in one area and start in another.

Why are there so many cones and why have you put them right in front of businesses, restricting their parking?

Sometimes the way our cones and fences are set up doesn’t seem to make sense – especially when cones are blocking off much-needed business car parking. However, we do it this way because we must abide by the legal requirements for using temporary traffic management, set out in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM). These requirements are in place to keep all road users and workers safe.

Check out our project website for answers to frequently asked questions about the upgrade.

Safer crossing at St Anne's School

We had to remove the Kea Crossing on Ferry Road outside St Anne’s School to make way for the sewer renewal, so our team created a temporary solution to provide the children with a safe place to cross the road.

Removing trees to make way for new ones

Over the next few weeks a small number of trees will need to be removed to enable the road and streetscape changes to take place. We'll be replacing some these and adding additional trees, once work is finished and the winter 2021 planting season begins. These will be a mixture of Kahikatea, Magnolia and Maple, which will work in well with the existing trees and enhance the village atmosphere. Kahikatea, pictured below,  is native to the area, and is a good option as it has an upright form and grows relatively quickly. As a lowland tree that likes to grow near rivers, the kahikatea is a suitable reminder of the history of the landscape and its early inhabitants.

Stay up to date with news and updates

Visit our project webpage for the latest information about the upgrade. We'll send out regular newsletters as the project progresses. If you know anyone who would like to receive these newsletters, please ask them to sign up here, or email WoolstonVillage@ccc.govt.nz.

Thanks for your patience while we upgrade Woolston Village.