The 8.4km track, which runs between Moorhouse Ave and the Halswell, was constructed in stages and took two years to finish.
Work on the now completed second and final 3.8km stage, between Victors Rd and Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre/Halswell Domain, started last year.
The first 4.6km section from Moorhouse Ave to Victors Rd opened in September last year.
The cycleway provides a route to four schools in the Hoon Hay area and also connects Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre to the planned metro sports facility to be built in the central city.
About 6136 cycle trips were recorded on the Sparks Rd section of the cycleway in September – a 30 per cent increase compared to the same month last year.
At the central city end, 11,447 cycle trips were recorded last month – a 12 per cent increase from last year.
City council planning and delivery transport manager Lynette Ellis said the route’s completion is a major milestone which will benefit cyclists who commute between Halswell and the city, pedestrians and motorists.
“This is a busy route with many new housing areas and several schools. The changes we’ve introduced as part of the Quarryman’s Trail project will give people transport choices, improve safety for all road users, including pedestrians, and make the popular Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre even more accessible.”
The project involved building two new sets of traffic lights at the Henderson and Sparks Rds intersection and creating a new pedestrian and cycle crossing point from Sparks Rd into Milns Reserve, a small native wetland area.
Ms Ellis said city council contractors and planners had to make sure the cycle path through Milns Reserve worked in well with the pedestrian walkways.
A reduced speed limit of 60km/h has also been introduced along parts of Sparks and Hendersons Rds.
Quarryman’s Trail is part of a network of cycle routes being built by the city council to link shopping centres, businesses, schools, parks and popular recreation destinations.
In the future, the trail will connect to the Southern Lights cycleway and the Nor’West Arc route.
