Major upgrades to streets surrounding One NZ Stadium are entering their final intensive phase, with work expected to be completed six months ahead of schedule.

The Christchurch City Council has announced upcoming road closures and nightworks as part of efforts to accelerate construction and reduce disruption in the area.

Council General Manager of City Infrastructure Brent Smith said the work had been challenging for residents, business owners, and commuters but was progressing faster than expected.

“We’ve been working closely with our contractors over the last eight months, with around 100 workers on-site each day,” Smith said. “Crews are working weekends and sequencing tasks to save time while maintaining high-quality work.”

As a result, the bulk of the project around One NZ Stadium is expected to be delivered in about a year, rather than the originally planned 18 months.

Major construction will begin to wind down from May, though minor tasks such as line marking, landscaping, and streetlight commissioning will continue into spring.

“We have about three more months of intensive construction ahead,” Smith said.

This final stage will involve road and intersection closures, as well as night and weekend works, including:

•Cashel Street leading onto Madras Street – Closed for five weeks from Monday, 24 February for new traffic lights, kerbing, and pavements.

• Barbadoes Street and Madras Street intersections on Tuam Street – Periodic closures during April for pavement reconstruction.

•Tuam Street work (11–27 April) – Weekend and overnight work to minimise disruption, though some impact is expected.

Several permanent road layout changes will soon take effect to improve traffic flow around One NZ Stadium:

• Lichfield Street (east of the stadium) – Converted to two-way traffic in early March, allowing movement in both directions between Fitzgerald Avenue and Barbadoes Street.

• Tuam Street (one block south) – Converted to one-way eastbound through the entire central city shortly after.