Work on upgrading the busy section of Riccarton Road between Harakeke Street and Matipo Street will begin in February.

The work will involve replacing and upgrading damaged underground pipes and rebuilding the road to accommodate bus priority measures.

An artist's impression of the changes to Riccarton Road.

As part of the work a tree-planted median strip will be added between Clarence and Matipo streets.

Whilst the scheme was consulted on a number of years ago, the design has developed following input from the community and key stakeholders including the emergency services.

The public car parking spaces that are located behind the businesses on the northern side of Riccarton Road, between Rimu Street and Straven Road, will also be upgraded and a two-hour time limit introduced for people parking there. The car park work is planned for January.

Christchurch City Council has contracted Fulton Hogan to do the work, which is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Council Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Lynette Ellis says some disruption will be unavoidable, but the work needs to be done.

“Some of the pipes that run underneath Riccarton Road are almost a century old so they need to be replaced. The road surface is also in a poor condition and needs resurfacing and reshaping,’’ Ms Ellis says.

“We are doing that work and introducing the bus priority measures at the same time to minimise the disruption to the public. We are also taking the opportunity to make some streetscape improvements and add some landscaping so we create a nicer environment for all road users.’’

Ms Ellis says drop-in sessions and one to one meetings will be held in January to brief local businesses and residents on the planned work.

Find out more about the final scheme plans.