Christchurch Northern Corridor

High performing alliance raises the bar

PROJECT: Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) CONTRACTOR: Fulton Hogan CLIENT: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Christchurch City Council VALUE: $290m

The CNC project combines Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Northern Arterial (a new section of SH74 running from just south of the Waimakariri River to QEII Drive) and two Christchurch City Council (CCC) projects that link QEII Drive to Cranford Street and four-lane Cranford Street to Innes Road.

The CNC was the first alliance contract of this size in the South Island.

The alliance between Waka Kotahi, CCC, Fulton Hogan, Aurecon and Jacobs developed a team with four key result areas: Strong relationships, Proud legacy, Responsible traffic management and Safe/healthy environment. These are strong stakeholder and community objectives and from the outset the wider project team understood and signed up for these.

Between November 2016 and December 2020 there were plenty of challenges on the way: unexpected ground conditions, a change of scope to include a third southbound lane and clip-on cycleway on an existing bridge, the high water table, SH1 and local road closures and the political background making this a highly contested motorway. The culture and the workmanship of the team shows high scores on performance and customer satisfaction. The CNC Alliance has delivered a benchmark project.