Project update

Low noise asphalting to start on QEII Drive

Laying the low noise asphalt on QEII Drive, between Innes Road roundabout and the Christchurch Northern Corridor motorway bridge, will get underway from Sunday night 30 January 2022 and will take about a week (until Friday night 4 February) to finish, weather permitting.

From Sunday night 13 February we will be laying the low noise asphalt on the on- and off ramps at QEII Drive and on the CNC motorway, working every night except Saturdays. This work is planned to continue all summer. Working first between QEII Drive and Styx River Bridge, then head further north on the motorway. In April/May we plan to asphalt QEII Drive east (between Main North Road and the QEII Drive motorway bridge) and Cranford Street (between the roundabout and the QEII Drive motorway bridge).

The method for this work is to start with milling the road surface so it is even, then apply a final layer of chip seal to fully waterproof the road before the low noise asphalt is applied. We will work lane by lane so in the morning the new top surface will be the low noise asphalt.

Road Conditions
This work is being done at night to avoid creating significant congestion. This is better for traffic flows but unfortunately it will be noisy for those living nearby. We are mindful that night work is not ideal, and we apologise for disturbing you.

All the sealing work will take place overnight between 8pm and 6am, with detours and road closures signposted. Roads will be reopened during the day. As traffic management and other road work, like line marking, will still be happening in this area during the day please drive to the posted speeds and take extra care driving in this area. All asphalt work is weather and temperature dependent, dates for this work may take longer and conversely, if we have great conditions, we may be able to speed up our programme.

Work programme

QEII East
Work will start on the westbound QEII Drive lanes between Innes Road and the CNC/QEII Interchange (the double roundabouts) on Sunday night 30 January and take about three nights to complete. While this sealing is being done both westbound lanes will be closed from 8pm to 6am and traffic will be diverted. When these lanes are finished, we will move to the eastbound lanes for the rest of the week and the eastbound lanes will be closed overnight. When lanes are closed there is no access from Philpotts Road, Hills Road and Winters Road east onto QEII Drive during the night work. Diversions will be in place.

Next steps and epoxy update
Some of the epoxy resin for the CNC main alignment from QEII Drive to the Styx Bridge has arrived and we will start sealing in this area. We have made the call to start in the QEII area without the epoxy resin as this area was scheduled for asphalt earlier. Epoxy resin makes the low noise asphalt last longer but the noise reducing qualities are the same. We expect the new seal to reduce noise level by around 5dB which is a significant drop.

The Christchurch City Council roads: QEII Drive west and Cranford Street are planned for later in our sealing programme as we are awaiting the remaining epoxy resin to arrive from America. Worldwide shipments are still being impacted by COVID-19 delays.

Who to contact, frequently asked questions and videos

If you have questions about the CNC project, now or in the future, you can visit the project website nzta.govt.nz/cnc

Waka Kotahi will continue to manage this page and contact details will be updated on the site as needed.  You could also take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions webpage. Or your question could be answered in one of our Videos.

All the best

Melanie

More information

For more information on the Christchurch Northern Corridor project, visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/CNC