The 1.5km stretch of the Puari ki Kahukura Heathcote Expressway was set to be closed between Vaila Pl and Truscotts Rd later this week until the council spends $7.2 million on upgrades to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
The cycleway runs along the level crossing but does not cross it.
KiwiRail gave the city council a last-minute reprieve on Tuesday, telling councillors the closure of the expressway has been delayed.
But how long the cycleway will remain open is still to be confirmed.
The gates were due to be locked on Thursday until significant upgrades were completed after KiwiRail told the council the rail crossing was unsafe for ongoing use.
However, council transport planning and delivery manager Jacob Bradbury said KiwiRail will now continue its discussions about the cycleway and delay the closure date.
“We will keep working closely with KiwiRail on this project and gain clarity for the community as to how long the cycleway will remain open for,” Bradbury said.
It comes after about 200 people gathered on Saturday at the intersection of the expressway and Scruttons Rd to protest the possible closure.
Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink told the crowd the proposed closure was one of the "stupidest things" she had ever heard.
The controversial closure was discussed at an adjourned council meeting today.
Acting Mayor Pauline Cotter said it is important the council and KiwiRail work together to find a way forward.
“We want to get this right to make sure everyone is as safe as possible whether they’re using the road, a cycleway, footpath or going over a rail crossing,” she said.
“We’re planning to write to the KiwiRail Board and Ministers regarding changes to policy or legislation so they can consider the boarder transport network when making decisions on level crossings.”
“We’ll also look to meet with the Board to discuss the situation at Scruttons Road, as well as the wider city network, at a governance-to-governance level,” she said.
During the construction of the Heathcote Expressway, KiwiRail informed the Council it did not have the resources to support the railway crossing upgrade in time for the December 2023 opening date of the route.
After the cycleway opened an updated safety assessment was done and the method for assessing risk to cyclists and pedestrians has changed, which made it resulted in it placing it as a higher risk than in the earlier assessment.
Bradbury said: “The council has been working towards a permanent upgrade of this railway crossing and we fully support making crossings as safe as possible for all users.
“We understand there has been frustration in the community and we will keep the public updated as we work with KiwiRail on next steps.”
The cost of the upgrades has escalated to $7.2 million for the full extent of the work to both to KiwiRail rail crossing and council road.
“We have made it clear to KiwiRail that these costs were much higher than what we had budgeted, and staff would need to secure additional budget through the Annual Plan. Any funding decision sits with the Mayor and Councillors,” Bradbury said.
The council is expecting it will take at least 18 to 24 months to upgrade the crossing, depending on the cost estimate, availability to close the railway line, final design approvals and budget.
“As well as working with KiwiRail on a closure date, we’ll also keep working with them on design and confirmation of costs,” he said.
