Corridor Access Request (CAR) support — we handle the application
The crew's booked for Monday and you've just found out you need a Corridor Access Request before anyone touches the road reserve. This is the most common phone call we get — and yes, it's fixable, but the earlier you hand it over the better.
CiviEase prepares and lodges CARs through MyWorksites/CorridorAccess with Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury district councils, NZTA for state highways, Auckland Transport and every other NZ road controlling authority (RCA). You send the work details and dates; we handle the application, the TMP behind it, the permit conditions and the paperwork at the end of the job.
Crew booked and no CAR yet?
Send it through — we'll identify the next step, usually within one working day.
What a CAR covers
The road corridor is everything between the legal boundaries of the road — carriageway, footpath, berm and the air above them. If your work touches any of it, the RCA needs to approve it first. In Christchurch that means a CAR for:
- Excavations and trenches — service connections, drainage, fibre, power and water work in the road reserve
- Vehicle crossings — building or altering a driveway crossing (which also needs a CCC inspection — see below)
- Road occupation — scaffolding, cranes, containers and skip bins sitting on the berm or carriageway
- Construction access — heavy vehicle movements, site access and anything that changes how traffic or pedestrians use the corridor
- Events and street activities that close or restrict part of the road
Working without a CAR risks a stop-work, reinstatement costs at your expense, and a black mark with the corridor team you need to approve your next job.
CAR vs WAP vs TMP — the difference in one table
These three get confused daily, and council correspondence rarely explains them:
| Term | What it is | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| CAR (Corridor Access Request) | The application — your request to work in or occupy the road corridor | You (or we) lodge it with the RCA |
| WAP (Works Access Permit) | The approval — the permit the RCA issues once your CAR is accepted, with conditions | The RCA (e.g. CCC corridor access team) |
| TMP (Traffic Management Plan) | The document your CAR needs — how traffic and pedestrians will be managed safely around the work | Prepared by a qualified TMP designer; approved as part of the CAR |
Simple version: you lodge a CAR, the RCA grants a WAP, and the TMP is what convinces them to do it. No TMP, no permit.
We handle the whole application
NZ's corridor access system runs through MyWorksites (and CorridorAccess, built on beforeUdig). The form itself isn't hard — getting it right is. The applications that get bounced back at CCC are the ones with missing TMPs, dates that don't match the TMP, vague work descriptions, or no methodology for the excavation.
Our lodgement process:
- Scope the work — you send the site address, work dates, methodology and what you're doing in the corridor.
- Sort the TMP your CAR needs — designed to the road's actual risk level, not over-cooked for a quiet street or under-cooked for an arterial.
- Lodge in MyWorksites/CorridorAccess — complete application, right RCA, first time.
- Manage the review — we answer corridor-team queries directly so questions don't sit in your inbox while the clock runs.
- Track conditions — when the WAP lands, we make sure the conditions (notification boards, inspection points, working hours) are on your run sheet.
Prefer to see the process before you hand it over? Read the CAR application step-by-step — the full MyWorksites walkthrough in plain English.
Lead times that bite
This is where programmes get wrecked, so be honest with your dates:
- CCC and Canterbury RCAs — allow a realistic buffer of days-to-weeks depending on road category and complexity; arterials and full closures take longer than a berm crossing on a quiet street.
- Auckland Transport — at least 15 working days before work starts, and that's the floor, not the average. See Auckland Transport corridor access (15 working days) if your project is up north.
- NZTA state highways — their own corridor process and TMP standards apply; allow more time again.
The rule we give every contractor: don't book the crew before the CAR. If the job is genuinely urgent — a burst main, a safety repair — emergency provisions exist, but "I forgot" isn't an emergency the RCA recognises.
Dates locked in and the corridor clock is running?
Send it through — we'll identify the next step, usually within one working day.
Skip bins, containers and scaffolding on the berm
The most common CAR a Christchurch homeowner or builder never knew they needed. A skip bin, shipping container or scaffold sitting on the berm, footpath or road is road occupation — and yes, it needs permission from CCC. The same applies to a container dropped on the street during a renovation or a scaffold overhanging the footpath on a commercial job.
We handle these quickly because they're simple applications — if they're lodged before the truck arrives, with the right dates and a basic pedestrian-management note where the footpath is affected.
Completion notices and the two-year warranty
Finishing the physical work doesn't close the CAR. The RCA expects a Work Completion Notice when you're done, confirming the corridor is reinstated and open. That notice starts a two-year warranty period on your reinstatement — if the trench settles or the crossing surface fails inside that window, you (or your contractor) are coming back to fix it.
Two practical consequences:
- Lodge the completion notice promptly — an open CAR is an open liability.
- Reinstate properly the first time. CCC inspects, and the warranty clock makes a cheap patch a two-year debt.
If your corridor work sits behind a bigger consent, we also manage the consent paperwork behind the corridor work — one team, no hand-offs. Running crews across multiple Canterbury sites every week? Ask about standing CAR support for civil contractors.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Corridor Access Request (CAR) and when do I need one?
A CAR is the application you lodge with the road controlling authority — Christchurch City Council for most Christchurch roads — before working in or occupying the road corridor. That covers excavations, service connections, vehicle crossings, scaffolding, containers and skip bins on the berm. You need it approved before work starts, and an approved TMP is almost always required alongside it.
What is a Works Access Permit (WAP) and how is it different from a CAR?
The CAR is the request; the WAP is the approval. You (or CiviEase on your behalf) lodge the Corridor Access Request in MyWorksites, the road authority reviews it with your TMP, and if satisfied they issue a Works Access Permit with conditions — notification boards, inspection points, permitted hours. You work under the WAP's conditions until the Work Completion Notice closes the job.
How do I apply for a CAR in MyWorksites, and how far ahead?
You create an account on MyWorksites, map the work location, enter dates and work details, attach your TMP and methodology, then submit to the road controlling authority. Lead times depend on the RCA and road category — allow days-to-weeks at CCC; Auckland Transport requires at least 15 working days. Lodge before you book the crew, not after.
Do I need a permit to put a skip bin, container or scaffolding on the road or berm?
Yes. Anything occupying the berm, footpath or carriageway — skip bin, shipping container, scaffold — is road occupation and needs Christchurch City Council approval via a corridor access request. It's a simple, fast application if lodged before delivery, with correct dates and a pedestrian-management note where the footpath is affected. Dropping the bin first and asking later risks removal and costs.
Paperwork to pavement.
Send us what you have — we'll take it from there.