The final stage of the Rapanui-Shag Rock cycleway was officially opened on Thursday morning.
It is one of six cycle routes to benefit from the Government’s ‘shovel-ready’ Covid infrastructure fund and is the latest addition to the Christchurch City Council’s major cycle routes.
Work began on the first stage of the cycleway in Linwood back in 2015.
"The cycleway includes a total of 7.4km of shared paths and neighbourhood greenways, connecting three schools and pre-schools, as well as eight parks and reserves so it’s a really important link," Heathcote Ward city councillor Sara Templeton said.
"This hasn’t just been the construction of a cycleway," Templeton said.
"We’ve planted upwards of 35,000 additional trees and shrubs along the route to help improve the health of Linwood Canal, as well as support local inanga or whitebait.
"There has also been a lot of work done on the failing seawall along the front of Tidal View which has totally been replaced, as well as streetscaping with new picnic tables, cycle parking, a drinking water fountain and even an outdoor shower for the windsurfers and foilers making the most of The Estuary."
Two new signalised crossings on Humphreys Drive offer safe crossing points for people using the cycleway and provide a connection to the Ferrymead Bridge to Redcliffs section of the Christchurch Coastal Pathway.
"It’s exciting to think once the Coastal Pathway is complete in 2023, there will be a safe cycleway all the way from the central city to Sumner, one of our most distant suburbs," Templeton says.
"It will make things safer and more convenient for commuters and students and will also be a fantastic recreational path."
