Lincoln faces another 18 months of roadworks
Fri, 9th Oct 2026 (Today)
Just as Lincoln's town centre emerges from nearly a year of roadworks, another 18 months of disruption is looming.
Selwyn District Council has awarded the around $19 million construction contract for stages 2 and 3 of the Lincoln town centre upgrade to Fulton Hogan.
The stages will be constructed together, covering Gerald Street from the end of stage 1 by West Belt to the Springs Road intersection.
Construction is scheduled to start in late October 2026 and take 18 months.
The $19m first stage took Fulton Hogan 11 months.
Originally scheduled to be completed by the end of July, the work took until September, with local businesses impacted by reduced access from the works.
Stage 1 had such an impact that the council launched the Lincoln Town Centre Fund to offer direct financial assistance to local businesses severely disrupted by the intensive town centre roadworks.
Mayor Lydia Gliddon acknowledged the work on the next stages will also have an impact, especially for Gerald Street businesses.
"The council will continue to work closely with contractors and local businesses to keep access open and to reduce disruption as much as possible."
Lessons from stage 1 have helped shape the construction approach for the next phases, with maintaining access to businesses a key focus, Gliddon said.
Work will be undertaken across multiple areas at the same time, and specialist construction methods, including directional drilling, will be used where possible to help reduce overall disruption.
Traffic management arrangements will vary throughout the project and will be designed to strike the right balance between maintaining safe work areas and providing access for residents, businesses and road users, while reducing overall programme duration as much as possible, Gliddon said.
Council executive director of infrastructure and property Tim Mason said the upgrades will improve "some of Lincoln's busiest intersections, provide safer facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, improve public transport infrastructure, and support a more efficient transport network as the town continues to grow".
Traffic on Gerald Street is forecast to increase from around 10,000 vehicle movements a day to 16,000 by 2045, and Lincoln's households expected to grow from 3,500 to 6,000 by 2040.
Features of Stages 2 and 3 include:
- Signalisation of the Gerald Street/Ellesmere Junction Road/Springs Road intersection and the Gerald Street/Vernon Drive intersection
- Undergrounding of powerlines
- Relocation of bus stops and installation of new bus shelters
- Separated cycleways on both sides of the road
- Road renewal works
- New stormwater and water supply infrastructure