Two Somerfield houses have been demolished to make space room for the Quarryman's Trail cycleway.

Two homes have been demolished to make way for a Christchurch cycleway meaning a "rigmarole" of a process nears an end for neighbouring residents.

The $6.8 million Quarryman's Trail cycleway will run from Halswell to the central city via Sparks Rd, Roker St and Antigua St. The first stage, which covers 4.6 kilometres from Moorhouse Ave to Victors Rd in Hoon Hay, is expected to open by the end of the month.

The Christchurch City Council demolished a standalone home on Somerfield's Barrington St and one unit of a two-unit building on Roker St to clear a space for the cycleway to run between the two streets.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Cyclists on the Strickland St portion of the Quarryman's Trail cycleway.

Transport planning and delivery manager Lynette Ellis said the two properties were purchased from "willing sellers" and cleared in late April and during May.

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﻿Carina Green owned the demolished unit, which she was using as a rental. She said the tenants had managed to find somewhere else quickly so it "worked out OK".

She said she had the property valued by two real estate agents before the council made an offer.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF The remaining Roker St unit in Somerfield. The one to its left has been demolished.

"There wasn't really an option to negotiate the price with them. It was either that or we would go to court and we didn't want to go down that path."

Treacy Lisle owns three units next door to the demolished houses – one of which was attached to the demolished unit. The internal wall that divided the two units was being insulated and re-clad as an external wall with a window.

The council had initially planned to knock over all of her units, which she described as a "kick in the guts" as a letter from the council outlining the proposal was delivered shortly after her mother's death in June 2016. Her mother had lived in one of the units. The plan was later changed, though the council was loath to confirm which houses it would demolish straight away, citing privacy.

Lisle said the process to get to this stage had been a "rigmarole" and she was looking forward to the work being completed.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Construction on the first stage of the trail started on October and is due to finish by the end of the month.

"It will be a damn weight lifted off my shoulders."

The cycleway upgrades have seen a new crossing with traffic lights near Hoon Hay and Our Lady of Assumption schools and roundabouts replaced with traffic lights at the Sparks Rd/Lyttelton St and Hoon Hay Rd/Lyttelton St intersections.

Ellis said the new intersections would help ease congestion, particularly at peak times.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF The cycleway upgrades have seen a new crossing with traffic lights near Hoon Hay and Our Lady of Assumption schools and roundabouts replaced with traffic lights at the Sparks Rd/Lyttelton St and Hoon Hay Rd/Lyttelton St intersections.

She said the project was "tracking to time and budget". The first stage was due to be finished by the end of the month, but this was weather dependant.

The council has proposed assigning $7.28m for section two, from Victors Rd to Halswell, for 2023-24 in its long term plan.

The trail is one of 13 major cycleways planned for the city at a cost of $252m, up to two-thirds of which will be covered by the New Zealand Transport Agency.