New Consideration Of Fendalton Motorway

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 1

New Consideration Of Fendalton Motorway

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 17. The approval of the National Roads Board for the first two stages of the Fendal-ton-Avonside motorway to proceed in principle as a subsidised work was given today.

It was also decided that consideration of proposals involving future development to motorway status and the widening of Fendalton Road be deferred pending further investigations. The board has approved in principle the master transportation plan for Christchurch which includes as a city responsibility the Fen-dalton-Avonside motorway. The City Engineer has prepared a report proposing stage construction of the section of this motorway which crosses Hagley Park. This report has been inproved in principle by the City Council: and the District Commissioner of Works advises that the No. 14 District Roads Council recommends that a subsidy rate of four to one be adopted for the works proposed. Five Stages “Although the report details five stages it is emphasised that only Stage I and Stage II are intended as firm proposals. Stages 111 to V indicate possible development only," said the chief highways engineer (Mr F. A. Lanebein). “The proposals involve a progressive improvement to Harper Avenue together with a new roadway to be constructed within the park to connect this road to Salisbury Street rather than Bealey Avenue at the Carlton Mill Road intersection. “It is to be noted that up to Stage IV no grade separations are proposed: and at the city end a grade intersection with Park Terrace is considered to be adequate up to 1980.” The proposals envisaged in Stage 1 and Stage II are considered to be appropriate and can be constructed relatively cheaply and quickly, but the later stages suffer from the serious defect that earlier construction is abandoned. Grade Separation However, this report indicates that construction of this facility as a motorway bevond Park Terrace into the city is not required until a very late stage. It can be

shown that grade separation of the Fendalton Road-Deans Avenue-Harper Avenue intersection is not warranted on traffic considerations if the facility is not to be a motorway. Also, as it is considered that since Fendalton Road itself cannot be a high standard facility and that it would be difficult to prevent pedestrians and cyclists using the route across Hagley Park, there are strong indica-

tions that motorway status is not warranted. The recent proposals of the city approved by the board to use a one-way pair with progressed signals along Kilmore and Salisbury Streets together with unused capacity in Bealey Avenue may possibly allow rationalisation in the street system in the northwestern corner of the city to provide adequate distribution from the route at its eastern end.