South Island’s first 110kph highway coming to Canterbury

Saturday, 12 April 2025

Christchurch Southern Motorway (SH1/76) will become the South Island’s fastest road.

The Christchurch Southern Motorway will be the first highway in the South Island to have its speed limit increased to 110kph.

The new speed limit along the 17.7km stretch of SH1/76 between Christchurch and Rolleston will come into effect on Sunday.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager, centre, announces the 110kph speed limit for the Christchurch Southern Motorway with Sean Walsh, left, and Ian Duncan, right from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

It is part of the coalition Government’s promise to reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions, pitched as a boost to economic productivity.

Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton had previously publicly backed the idea while academics, transport experts and health professionals pleaded for reconsideration, saying the 51 seconds saved on travel time would result in more fatalities, injuries and at least 4% more fuel costs and emissions.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Minister for the South Island and Associate Transport Minister James Meager announced the speed increase on Saturday.

“Economic growth and productivity are a priority for the Government, and with up to 38,000 vehicles per day travelling on the Christchurch Southern Motorway, the new higher speed limit of 110kph will help ensure people and freight can get to where they need to go, quickly and safely,” Bishop said.

The Press spoke to people of the streets of Christchurch about how they feel about the 51 seconds saved by changing the speed limit to 110km/h on State Highway 76.

Meager added the new speed limit, in conjunction with the Rolleston improvements, at the southern end, and the Brougham St upgrades at the eastern end, would create a safer and more efficient highway for “this rapidly expanding part of greater Christchurch”.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Waka Kotahi public consultation late last year found 68% of nearly 4000 submissions supported a speed limit increase.

Bishop said the motorway was suitable for faster speeds because it was built to a high safety standard with two lanes in each direction, a flexible median barrier between opposing lanes, and smooth alignment with good forward visibility for drivers.

The speed limit will increase to 110kph from the Curletts Rd interchange in Addington to the Weedons Rd interchange in Rolleston.

Meager said more was also being done to deliver improved travel times, reliability, and reduced congestion on the wider state highway network.

“In Canterbury, we’re focused on progressing delivery of the Roads of National Significance and Roads of Regional Significance, including SH1 Belfast to Pegasus and Woodend Bypass, SH76 Brougham St upgrades, SH75 Halswell Rd improvements, SH1 Rolleston access improvements and the second Ashburton bridge.”

As part of long-term forward planning, NZTA was looking at further improvements for the state highway corridor south of Christchurch, Meager said.

This includes an upcoming study into the corridor between Lyttelton Port and Timaru Port (SH1, SH76, SH74) which will examine the future capacity required, resilience, the replacement of SH1 bridges, the role of rail, and potential four-laning of the corridor.

That work is expected to begin towards the end of the current 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme period.

The new 110kph speed limit applies from east of the Curletts Rd interchange, Addington, to west of Weedons Rd interchange, Rolleston.