CHRISTCHURCH MOTORWAY Land Negotiations Planned

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28541, 21 March 1958, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH MOTORWAY Land Negotiations Planned

Nearly six years after the issue of an Order-in-Council authorising the construction of a highspeed motorway running southwest from Riccarton to Templeton the National Roads Board has decided to acquire land for the proposed motorway. The motorway is planned to provide a quick outlet for motor traffic travelling south.

The District Commissioner of Works in Christchurch (Mr A. E. Clark) was authorised by the board yesterday to negotiate for the acquisition of land owned by the Sisters of Nazerath in Lincoln road. The board’s engineer (Mr L. C. Malt) explained that the land might be required for a proposed motorway and if the motorway did not pass through the area, the land could be disposed of as a separate unit. Construction of the motorway was approved in principle by the Main Highways Board, predecessor of the National Roads Board, in 1952 and an Order-in-Council was gazetted towards the end of the year to enable the Ministry of Works to plan the route and acquire land. Originally it was planned that the motorway should be fenced off for the whole distance, and as there would be no intersections motorists would be able to travel at higher speeds than on the Main South road. Provision was made for overbridges where the motorway crossed railway lines. The proposed route would allow traffic from the direction of Little River and Leeston a quicker run into Christchurch and relieve congestion on the Main South road.

In the 1952 plans the motorway wks to begin at the junction of Matipo street and the new part of the Blenheim road extension, and run in a genera] direction into Wrights road behind the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s course at Addington. Then it was to pass along the extreme west side of , the Sunnyside Mental Hospital and then run roughly parallel to Middle Lincoln road, about 20 chains in.

The route swung round behind the Royal New Zealand Air Force station, Wigram and cut across Springs road. Sockburn, near the Christchurch City Council shingle pit It continued, still in a general south-west direction, to the junction of Robinson’s road with the Main South road, one mile and three-quarters south of Templeton.