Christchurch–Lyttelton Motorway
 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by NZ Transport Agency | |
| Length | 6.1 km (3.8 mi) |
| Existed | 1964–present |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Dyers Road at Woolston, New Zealand |
| South end | Norwich Quay at Lyttelton, New Zealand |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Major cities | Woolston, Ferrymead, Heathcote, Lyttelton, New Zealand |
| Highway system | |
The Christchurch–Lyttelton Motorway, also known as Tunnel Road, is part of the road network connecting Christchurch, New Zealand with its port at Lyttelton. It is part of State Highway 74.
Route
[edit]1.jpg)
The northern terminus is a roundabout on Ferry Road, a few hundred metres southeast of an intersection with the Christchurch ring route. The motorway immediately crosses the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River and is carried on an embankment south across its swampy floodplain. The northern section is two lane, unlit and is relatively lightly trafficked, with the majority of traffic entering at a grade-separated parclo interchange with Port Hills Road which connects via the Opawa Expressway to the north and west. South of the interchange the motorway climbs the western side of the Heathcote Valley, with a crawler lane and passing through some cuttings. The access road to Horotane valley, a side valley of the Heathcote, passes beneath the motorway, connecting to Port Hills Road which continues in parallel to the motorway.
At the head of the Heathcote Valley is the north entrance to the Lyttelton road tunnel, with a southbound on-ramp and northbound off-ramp to Bridle Path road. The tunnel's toll plaza was located here prior to the abolition of tolls in 1979.[1][additional citation(s) needed] The speed limit is restricted to 50 km/h in the Lyttelton Road Tunnel.[why?] The motorway terminates at a roundabout immediately at the Lyttelton end of the tunnel.
History
[edit]The 6.1 km road was completed in 1964 with the opening of the Lyttelton road tunnel, the country's second-longest road tunnel.[citation needed] It is designated a motorway, with pedestrians and cyclists excluded, although for the most part the road is 2-3 lane undivided carriageway.[further explanation needed]
Interchanges
[edit] | This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. (November 2021) |
| Territorial authority | Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch City | Woolston | 22.0 | (Ferry Road) – Woolston, City Centre SH 74 north (Dyers Road)(Ferry Road) – Sumner |
 Christchurch-Lyttelton Motorway (Tunnel Road) begins
|
| 22.1 | Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River Bridge | |||
| Heathcote | 24.3 |  SH 76 (Port Hills Road) – Heathcote, Opawa, City Centre |
Southbound entrance and exit using Scruttons Road | |
| 26.0 | (Bridle Path Road) – Heathcote | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only | ||
| 26.1 | Lyttelton Road Tunnel (1.97 km (1.22 mi)) | |||
| Lyttelton | 28.1 | |||
| 28.1 | (Simeon Quay) – Naval Point, Governors Bay SH 74 south (Norwich Quay) – Port |
 Christchurch–Lyttelton Motorway (Tunnel Road) ends
|
References
[edit]- ^ Christchurch-Lyttelton Road Tunnel Authority Dissolution Act 1978 Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine