Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has listened to community feedback and made changes to plans for a State Highway 1 flyover and safety improvements through Rolleston, south-west of Christchurch.

The $125m project* is planned as part of the government’s $8.7 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme to provide growing communities with more options to help people get where they’re going safely. The project aims to improve safety and connections across SH1 between Rolleston’s residential side and its industrial and business hubs and railway inland port zone.

Waka Kotahi is asking for community feedback on the revised draft plans until 22 July, says Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships James Caygill.

“We’d like to check in one more time before we finalise our recommended draft plan and close out the business case ready for the next project phase – detailed design.”

Mr Caygill says the project is an excellent example of how community feedback helps to shape transport planning.

“We do listen, look at and consider every piece of feedback received from the community. Since public consultation last year, the team has taken another look at ways the residential and industrial sides of Rolleston can be better connected.

“This process involved on-going investigations, reassessing viable options and testing how these performed against key criteria – including short and long-term effects on the wider transport network and fit with Selwyn District Council’s vision for Rolleston. There is information on our website to help people understand the background to the project and why changes have been made,” Mr Caygill says.

The main changes include:

• A more direct flyover connection between Rolleston township and industrial areas for a simpler transport network (instead of the ‘skewed’ flyover consulted on last year)
• More highway access points – to ease travel and improve efficiency at Weedons Interchange:
  • Vehicles heading to Christchurch can take a free turn left onto the highway from Hoskyns Road (after the rail crossing).
  • Drivers from Christchurch can take the new offramp to Rolleston and also loop back over the flyover to Jones Road.

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