Southern motorway already wiping time off Rolleston to Christchurch commute

Friday, 16 October 2020

Residents and commuters using the new motorway between Christchurch and Rolleston says it saves them about 15 minutes each way.

Selwyn residents are reaping the rewards of the new Christchurch Southern Motorway, though some have concerns about bottlenecks at the Rolleston end.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) project is expected to halve the drive between central Christchurch and Rolleston and reduce fatal and serious crashes by 40 per cent.

Some think it will make Rolleston a more appealing place to live for those working in the city, further-fuelling the rapid growth the township has seen since the Canterbury earthquakes.

The second stage of the Southern Motorway is now open to traffic along its length, although work is still being finished on some sections.

When the $195 million second stage is completed, a four-lane road linking Halswell Junction Rd in Hornby and State Highway 1 near Robinsons Rd in Weedons will form a new stretch of motorway and the existing section of SH1 from Robinsons Rd to Rolleston will be widened to four lanes.

Registered nurse Maxine Hutton has found the new section of the motorway has about halved her daily commute to Christchurch.

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Sales rep Jomara Burrows says “there is no travel time really” between Christchurch and Rolleston because of the new motorway.

The new section from Hornby to Weedons opened to traffic in both directions in the past few weeks.

Some in Rolleston who regularly used the new section said the trip into Christchurch was up to 20 minutes faster than it used to be.

Registered nurse Maxine Hutton used the motorway daily to go between her Rolleston home and Hillmorton Hospital.

Farmer Rachel Heslop says country roads are quieter now the new section of motorway has opened.

She said the new section of motorway had cut her commute time to about 20 minutes, down from about 40 minutes when she first moved out to Rolleston about 18 months ago.

However, the end of the motorway heading into Rolleston was slower than it had been because it narrowed to one lane, which caused a bottleneck.

The new motorway had not influenced her decision to move to Rolleston, but she had encouraged others to move there now the commute time was shorter, Hutton said.

Real estate agent Jackie Derrick says now the motorway is nearly finished, people can now understand how it will work.

Sales rep Jomara Burrows regularly drove to Rolleston forr work and said travel times were much better now the new section of motorway was open.

“There is no travel time really, out of the big city.”

Burrows said she used to have to plan her return trip to Christchurch because the traffic was diabolical if she left at the wrong time.

Driving under one of the new overpasses on the Christchurch Southern Motorway.

Now the new section was open, she did not have to worry.

Farmer Rachel Heslop, who lives in Brookside near Leeston, said she had not used the new section of motorway, but had found the country roads she drove on – like Springs and Shands roads – had less traffic on them, which made the intersections feel less scary.

“It’s kind of like going back … about seven years in terms of feeling a lot safer because there’s less traffic on those main roads.

“It’s a positive outcome for country people.”

Heslop said the main issue in the area was the growth of Rolleston and how to manage it; “at the moment it feels a wee bit like octopus arms going in all directions”.

Matson and Allan real estate agent Jackie Derrick, who has been selling Rolleston homes for eight years, said the old commute time of 30 to 40 minutes had been barrier to people moving out to Rolleston.

Now the motorway was nearly finished, people could actually see it and understand how it would work, she said.

The motorway was “just another factor” making Rolleston desirable, alongside affordability and good schools.

From a real estate perspective, Rolleston had been buoyant since the Christchurch earthquakes, Derrick said.

An NZTA spokesman said the agency was looking at ways to reduce the queues heading towards Rolleston at the evening peak while the roadworks were finished.

While the motorway was still being built, traffic was not flowing fully or up to speed on all lanes, but the agency expected it would be by Christmas.

The spokesman said significant work was currently under way at Weedons, Weedons Ross and Levi roads, and work at Dawsons Rd/SH1 was still ongoing. Final road surfacing would be done in early 2021.

NZTA had received positive feedback from motorists, and some negative feedback from people who were frustrated by the delays.

The new sections of shared pathways next to the motorway had been “very well received”, the spokesman said.