Lizards may delay part of cycleway
Construction of part of a flagship Christchurch cycleway could be delayed because of a very small, slippery problem – the discovery of a colony of vulnerable lizards.
Southern grass skinks have been found on part of the planned next phase of the Heathcote Expressway linking The Tannery in Woolston with Martindales Rd in Heathcote Valley.
Depending on the extent of the population and habitat, which will be examined by a reptile expert in March, work on the
3.8-kilometre section of the cycle route may now be pushed back until spring. It’s the latest problem for the cycleway after more than 500 metres of kerbs already built on the cycleway had to be ripped up last year because the concrete used was not strong enough.
City council officials will be in the dark until the lizard survey is done over how the discovery could affect the cycleway’s budget or when work, currently forecast to be finished in November next year, might be completed.
It is not the first time an environmental discovery has forced work to be halted. In 2017 an intersection in Marshland had to redesigned and an additional
$3 million spent to safeguard a spawning and rearing site for threatened lamprey.
Southern grass skinks are in decline across New Zealand and are classified as being at risk. Small-bodied and striped or speckled, they are active only in daylight and until 2008 were considered part of a widespread species of common skink. They are found in damp spots in Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
The colony was found along part of the planned cycleway during an ecological assessment and may now have to be moved. It is not thought that staff are reconsidering the cyclepath’s route to accommodate them.
Council head of transport Richard Osborne said: ‘‘A full lizard survey will be carried out to get more information on their presence and numbers.
‘‘Based on this a lizard management plan will be drafted, which may include trapping and relocation ... This is likely to impact the construction start date as the trapping can only be done effectively during warmer months, but is not expected to impact the overall construction duration or cycleway alignment.’’
Councillors will have the chance to quiz staff on the issue at a meeting today.
Heathcote councillor Sara Templeton said she did not expect the discovery to cause a major hold-up. ‘‘My expectation is that while that particular small section wouldn’t be able to be started on, there are other sections of the cycleway that could be started sooner.’’