Traffic bulletin: Bay of Plenty state highway works for October 2022
Sealing crews were met with damp conditions to mark the start of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty renewal season for 2022/23.
While this has meant less work has been completed this week, seeing the first sites sealed is a major milestone, says Cara Lauder, Waikato System Manager at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
“We’re underway with our resealing, and this means crews are starting to chip away at the large programme we are undertaking this summer. There is a particular focus on areas such as SH25 around the Coromandel, where we have over 60 lane kilometres of work to complete, most of this before Christmas.
“We know that things are going to get busy on the network, though crews will be spread out to minimise overall disruption on any route. Over the next fortnight more crews will start working on the roads, as asphalt and road rehabilitation programmes commence.
“This is in addition to safety improvement focused and large-scale construction projects, which will also be looking to make the most of the warmer, drier weather over summer. The best advice we can give is that everyone plans ahead by using the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz) which provides real-time updates,” says Ms Lauder.
Nationally, Waka Kotahi is undertaking a programme of over 2450 lane kilometres of road resealing and rebuilding, to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023.
Western Bay of Plenty
- SH2 Waihī to Ōmokoroa: Safety improvement works continue at five active sites: between Athenree Road and Tanners Point Road, Tanners Point Road to Tuapiro Road, Rea Road / Tetley Road intersection, Morton Road intersection and Apata Station Road to Esdaile Road. Minor delays are expected. More information. Chipsealing commences near Athenree on Sunday 16 October. Work will take place at night, between the hours of 7pm and 6am, Sunday to Thursday nights. When works are taking place stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by late-November.
- SH2 Athenree to Pahoia: Road surface repairs will take place in multiple locations. Work will be undertaken between 7pm and 6am each night, from Sunday 2 to Thursday 6 October. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place.
- SH2 Te Puna: SH2 will be closed between the SH2/Te Puna Road/Minden Road and SH2/Clarke Road intersections on both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October, between the hours of 5am and 4pm each day, to allow tree removal to take place. A detour via Te Puna Road and Te Puna Station Road will be in place. Delays are expected. More information.
Tauranga
- Takitimu North Link Stage One: A range of construction activities are taking place between Te Puna and Bethlehem. This includes stop/go traffic management in place at Wairoa Road and Minden Road, and a number of shoulder closures and temporary speed limits. More information.
- SH2 Hewletts Road: As part of the Tauranga City Council Totara Street cycleway project, work at the intersection of SH2 Hewletts Road and Totara Street commences Monday 3 October, and will be completed by mid-November. Construction work includes signalising the existing slip lane and upgrading the island to provide a fully signalised crossing for shared path users. These works will take place between Tasman Quay and Totara Street each night between 8pm and 6am. Eastbound traffic along Hewletts Road will be reduced to one lane during this time. Minimal delays are expected. More information.
- SH2 Bay Link: There will be single lane closures on SH2/Maunganui Road between Concord Avenue and Exeter Street, and on the approaches to Bayfair roundabout, from approximately 5pm to 6am on Sunday 2 October to allow for concrete barriers to be poured around the retaining walls of the northern ramp of the Bayfair flyover. Between Monday 3 October and Thursday 6 October (from approximately 7pm to 6am each night, nights only), single lane closures approaching the Bayfair roundabout, and a partial closure of the Bayfair roundabout between Matapihi Road and Girven Road will be in place. These will also allow concrete barriers to be poured around the retaining walls of the northern ramp of the Bayfair flyover. Road users travelling from Matapihi Road towards Girven Road or Pāpāmoa/TEL, and from TEL/Pāpāmoa towards Girven Road, will need to follow a signposted detour via SH2/Maunganui Road northbound, the Golf Road roundabout and SH2/Maunganui Road southbound. This scheduled work is weather-dependent. If it is delayed due to weather or other unforeseen issues, it will be carried out during the next suitable shift. Drivers are reminded of the new layout at the Bayfair roundabout. More information.
- SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road: A section of the Kopurererua Valley cycleway is temporarily closed while services are relocated alongside SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road. There is an alternate track parallel to the closed section and signposted for track users. This work is expected to be completed in October. From early to mid-October a reduced speed limit of 50km/h will be in place while contractor crews install barriers. This is expected to take place over two days. More information.
- SH36 Pyes Pa: The Tauranga City Council watermain and wastewater pipe installations have progressed ahead of schedule. Traffic diversions have now been removed; shoulder closures remain in place while works continue outside the carriageway.
- SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (TELTR): For the Tauranga City Council led Pāpāmoa East Interchange project, traffic on the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road just north of the Kaituna River Bridge is now back to three lanes. Both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are now open and the temporary speed through the worksite is 70km/h. This layout will remain in place until April 2023. More information.
Rotorua
- SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two: Multiple worksites are active between Iles Road and Puketāwhero Park to excavate the shared service trench for the relocation of underground services and installation of the new watermain. Temporary traffic management will be in place with no left turn lane out of Basley Road to SH30/Te Ngae Road, and no left turn from SH30/Te Ngae Road westbound lane into Tennyson Drive, minor delays are expected. The upgraded footpath on the lakeside between Iles Road to Tennyson Drive, heading east on SH30/Te Ngae Road, is now open. A temporary signalised pedestrian crossing on SH30/Te Ngae Road at the city end of Puketāwhero Park has also been installed. Works continue in the area and pedestrians are asked to take care. More information.
- SH30/SH33 Te Ngae Junction: Starting 5pm Sunday 9 October to Friday 14 October, the contractor will be working 24 hours to first remove and then replace the existing road surface. During the day two lanes of traffic will remain open, with a reduced speed limit of 30km/h through the site. During the night stop/go will be in place. This work is weather dependent. The works may cause minor traffic delays and people are asked to take extra care while traveling through the site. More information.
- SH33 Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa: Safety improvement upgrade work continues near Pareteiro - Sun Valley Curves passing lane. During the day and when the crew are on site, either two lanes will be open or stop/go will be in place – depending on the works. A temporary speed limit of 30km/h applies. Outside of work hours and when the site is unattended, the worksite will have a shoulder closure and a temporary speed limit of 50km/h. There are also ongoing shared path works between Mourea Bridge and Ōkere Falls. Traffic management will be a combination of shoulder closures and stop/go as required to carry out the works safely. Allow extra time. More information.
Eastern Bay of Plenty
- SH35 Motu River: 24/7 single lane access has been reinstated, with traffic signal control in place, along with a 30km/h temporary speed limit. There will be periods where traffic is stopped at each end to allow works to take place across the full road width. Works will continue until early-October. More information.
- SH35 Chipseal: Chipsealing commences near Whangaparāoa on Monday 3 October. Work will take place during the day, between the hours of 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. When works are taking place stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by early-November.
- SH30 Awakeri to Whakatāne: Pavement and utility site investigation work along SH30 between the SH2/SH30 and Shaw Road/SH30 intersections commences Wednesday 5 October, and will take two weeks to complete. Works will be undertaken across a number of sites, at night or during the day (depending on the specific task), under stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit.
- SH30 Whakatāne: Resurfacing work between SH2/Gateway Drive/Phoenix Drive and Whakatāne Landing Bridge commences Sunday 2 October, taking up to three weeks to complete. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place between 6pm and 6am Sunday to Thursday; during this time Coastlands residents will have a signposted single direction detour. Temporary speed limits will remain in place during the day when there are uneven surfaces.
- SH2 Waimana Gorge: Road rehabilitation commences Monday 3 October just south of Fraser Road. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place until late-October.
- SH2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki: Service relocation work between Pohutukawa Drive and Paerata Ridge Road continues. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the day when this work is taking place. This work is expected to be complete by the end of the month. More information.
- SH2 Waioeka Gorge: A section of the Waioeka River is in close proximity to the road edge. A shoulder closure is in place, and remedial works have commenced.
Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:
- Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
- Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP
- Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiWaiBP
- Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
- Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)