Report To Roads Board On City’s Northern Outlet

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29388, 15 December 1960, Page 18

Report To Roads Board On City’s Northern Outlet

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, December 14. “A lot of water must flow under the Waimakariri bridge before this project advances beyond the planning stage,” the Director of Roading (Mr P. L. Laing) told the National Roads Board today when he presented a report on the progress and the motorway north from Christchurch. “The people down there want to be heard, and that is fair and proper,” he said. / Mr Laing said the planning engineer for Canterbury had further discussions with the board after meetings in Canterbury, and further progress would be reported shortly. It was possible that at the February meeting matters would be far enough advanced to be proceeded with. Mr Laing said that in April. 1958. the board resolved to investigate a line from the highway advised by engineers in the Christchurch district on arguments of best traffic service to communities and, in particular, that it could be usefully constructed in stages. Six months ago the Ministry of Works took a fairly detailed proposition to the various local authorities, said M: Laing. The Christchurch City Council and the Regicnal Planning Authority were asked to confirm that the route should pass through a prescribed "channel” of land north of the city if the city’s future urban access development was to be successfully connected. This they did. “At the present time Kaiapoi borough, Rangiora county, Waijnairi county, Christchurch city, the Regional Planning Authority and the North Canterbury Catchment Board have all indicated in writing their acceptance of the line which is proposed.” he said “Rangiora borough favours a motorway but want to see the line nearer to Rangiora and constructed as one complete project. “Eyre county favours none of the proposed routes and considers that the present road can be improved to provide adequate service. “There is a lot of argument by Eyre county and Rangiora borough in favour of location on a more westerly line because of the potential development in that direction, including that of 27.000 acres of forest and the market gardening future.” Mr Laing said the Eyre County Council had made the following points: The scheme would take 40 to 50 acres of highly fertile land out of production, and would revert a State highway to county responsibility: the countycouncil could not understand the reasons for proceeding with the middle lengths as s sge 1; it was concerned with a danger of flooding due to a raised road forma-1 tion; and it considered the present

road not fully used and believed that if it was widened to four lanes it could serve for 12 to 15 4>ears, leaving Kaiapoi to be served by rail. Mr Laing said the Rangiora Borough Council reported that all local bodies, except the Eyre County Council, wanted a motorway. but that there must be no doubt about the line chosen Points of argument were the problem of entry to the motorway from the roads out of Rangiora and the importance of aiming the road at Addington. The Rangiora council advised the beach settlements and Kaiapoi to use existing roads. Its argument was that the western route joined the State highway south of Belfast and eliminated the need for a Belfast by-pass. The Ministry of Works, said Mr. Laing, claimed that traffic had followed the growth of motor registration and that therefore, by 1970. the average daily figure would be 10.000 near Waimakariri bridge, with Sunday peaks of 24.000. The present flows were 60 per cent, of these. The existing road handled 5000 vehicles a dav in comfort. The estimate was that a four-, laning of the existing road would be completed by 1975 at a cost of £750.000. The sandhills route was rejected because it failed to give service to the communities and crossed a navigable. waterway The Christchurch city plan was expected in from six to 12 months. The estimate to complete stage 1 of the motorway was £l5 million.