The Four Avenues

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Bealey Avenue

The Four Avenues are a group of four major arterial boulevards — Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue, and either Rolleston Ave or Deans Avenue — that surround the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Serving as an inner ring road, they popularly form the limits of the city centre, separating it from the city's suburbs. Almost all of the city's commercial heart lies within the approximately rectangular 9.8-square-kilometre (3.8 sq mi) area formed by the four avenues. The term "within the Four Avenues" is widely used in Christchurch to refer to the central city.[1] By extension, Christchurch as a whole is sometimes referred to[by whom?] as "The Four Avenues".

Historically, Rolleston Avenue, rather than Deans Avenue, was regarded as the fourth of the four avenues, but reconstruction of Christchurch City Centre following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake has officially made Deans Avenue a boundary of the CBD.[2] This has enlarged the central area to include Hagley Park, a green area which dominates the western end of the city's centre. Technically, this means there are five, not four, avenues, as Deans Avenue does not connect directly with Bealey Avenue, the two being connected by the shorter Harper Avenue, which skirts the northern edge of Hagley Park.

The avenues were named for early Christchurch city founding fathers (Samuel Bealey, John and William Deans, James FitzGerald, William Sefton Moorhouse, and William Rolleston), with the exception of Harper Avenue (formerly Park Road) which was renamed in 1931 to honour retiring Christchurch Domains Board chairman Sir George Harper.[3]

Geography

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That part of Fitzgerald Avenue adjacent to the Avon River / Ōtākaro was badly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Deans Avenue forms the western edge of the Four Avenues, separating Hagley Park from the major inner suburb of Riccarton. It runs due north–south for approximately 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi), with its northern end connecting with the curving Harper Ave. This road runs approximately east-northeast for 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) before connecting with the western end of Bealey Avenue.

The straight Bealey Avenue continues east for 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi). This wide, leafy dual carriageway skirts the edges of the suburbs of Merivale and Edgeware. At approximately its halfway point it is crossed by Christchurch's main street, Colombo Street. Bealey Avenue reaches its end at a junction with the northern end of Fitzgerald Avenue.

After initially curving slightly to follow the banks of the Avon River / Ōtākaro, Fitzgerald Avenue leads due south, crossing the suburban ends of major inner Christchurch streets such as Gloucester Street and Hereford Street. To the avenue's east lies the suburb of Linwood. After 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) the avenue ends at a junction with Moorhouse Avenue.

Moorhouse Avenue runs east–west for 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi), connecting the ends of Fitzgerald and Deans Avenues. It too is crossed by Colombo Street. The most urban of the four avenues, this dual carriageway lacks the tree-lined nature of the other avenues as it passes between the city centre and light industrial and commercial areas such as Sydenham and Addington.

Major routes crossing the four avenues, other than the inner Christchurch streets already mentioned, include (clockwise from the southern end of Deans Avenue):

  • Riccarton Road, which leads through the satellite commercial hub of Riccarton and connects with main routes south out of the city;
  • Riccarton Avenue, which traverses Hagley Park to connect with the city centre;
  • Fendalton Road, leading northwest from Harper Avenue to link with Memorial Avenue, which leads to Christchurch International Airport;
  • Papanui Road, leading northwest from Bealey Avenue, and linking with routes north out of the city;
  • Sherborne Street, leading north from Bealey Avenue to link with Cranford Street, which provides direct access to the Christchurch Northern Motorway
  • Ferry Road, which leads east-southeast to link with Christchurch's coastal suburbs and with the Lyttelton Road Tunnel.

Major intersections

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Clockwise from the south-west:

LocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Addington / City Centre boundary00.0Detroit Place
Blenheim Road to SH 76 west / SH 1 south / SH 73Timaru, West Coast
Moorhouse Avenue becomes Deans Avenue
Riccarton / City Centre boundary1.30.81Riccarton Road – Riccarton
Riccarton Avenue – City Centre, Hospital
1.50.93Kilmarnock Street
Fendalton / City Centre boundary1.81.1Fendalton Road – Fendalton, AirportDeans Avenue becomes Harper Avenue
Merivale / City Centre boundary2.81.7Avon River / Ōtākaro
2.91.8Carlton Mill Road – Bryndwr
Park Terrace – City Centre
Harper Avenue becomes Bealey Avenue
3.11.9Papanui Road
Victoria Street
St Albans / City Centre boundary3.32.1Montreal Streetno entry (one-way street)
3.52.2Durham Street North – City Centre via one-way system
3.82.4Colombo Street
3.92.4 Sherborne Street to SH 74 north – St Albans, Picton
4.02.5Manchester Street
4.32.7Madras Streetno entry southbound (one-way street)
Edgeware / City Centre boundary4.52.8Barbadoes Street north – St Albans
Barbadoes Street south – City Centre via one-way system
Edgeware / Richmond / City Centre tripoint4.93.0Whitmore Street – Shirley, Mairehau
London Street – Richmond
Bealey Avenue becomes Fitzgerald Avenue
Richmond / City Centre boundary5.63.5Avon River / Ōtākaro
Linwood / City Centre boundary5.73.5Avonside Drive – Avonside, New Brighton
Kilmore Street
5.83.6Armagh Street
5.93.7Gloucester Street
6.13.8Worcester Street
6.23.9Hereford Street east – Linwood
Hereford Street west – City Centre
6.33.9Cashel Street
Phillipstown / City Centre boundary6.44.0Lichfield Streetno entry (one-way street)
6.64.1Tuam StreetStaggered T-intersection
6.74.2St Asaph Street east – Phillipstown
St Asaph Street west – City Centre, Hospital
Waltham / City Centre boundary6.94.3Ferry Road – Lyttelton, Sumner
7.14.4Moorhouse Avenue – Woolston, Sumner
Falsgrave Street – Waltham
Fitzgerald Avenue becomes Moorhouse Avenue
Waltham / Sydenham / City Centre tripoint7.54.7 Waltham Road to SH 76 east – Lyttelton
Barbadoes Street
no entry to Barbadoes Street (one-way street)
Sydenham / City Centre boundary7.74.8Gasson Street – Sydenham
Madras Street – City Centre via one-way system
8.05.0Pilgrim Place
Manchester Street
8.25.1Colombo Street
8.45.2Durham Street South – Sydenhamno entry northbound (one-way street)
8.75.4Montreal Street – City Centre via one-way system
Addington / City Centre boundary8.05.0Antigua Street
9.45.8Selwyn Street – Hospital
9.76.0Grove Road
Lincoln Road to SH 75 – Addington, Halswell, Akaroa
Hagley Avenue
no entry to Hagley Avenue (one-way street)
10.16.3Detroit Place
Blenheim Road to SH 76 west / SH 1 south / SH 73Timaru, West Coast
Moorhouse Avenue becomes Deans Avenue
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

43°31′15″S 172°39′00″E / 43.52083°S 172.65000°E / -43.52083; 172.65000

References

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  1. ^ Wilson, J., "Central Christchurch," Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 17 August 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  2. ^ "The Four Avenues: Which is the fourth?," stuff.co.nz, 18 August 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  3. ^ Harper, Margaret. "Christchurch Street Names H". Christchurch City Libraries. p. 83. Retrieved 9 May 2024.