Following on from the construction of Takitumu Drive and the new toll road between Tauriko and the city, the duplicate harbour bridge was completed in the end of 2009.

These developments are a taste of what is to come for the Western Bay of Plenty’s roading arterials. 

Years of planning in which SmartGrowth played a vital role as coming to fruition. 

The region’s District Councils and Transit New Zealand have entered into a partnership agreement to manage and co-ordinate planning efforts.

The following are a summary of future developments and an investigation that is underway on upgrades or bypasses:

1.     Katikati Bypass – will reduce congestion and heavy vehicle traffic through the main street.

2.     Omokoroa/State Highway 2 Intersection – the intersection needs to be upgraded to meet the demands of the peninsula’s growth.

3.     Tauranga and Northern Arterial – a 6.8 kilometre road bypassing Te Puna and Bethlehem is planned to leave the existing highway at the intersection with Loop Road and link into Route K.  It will reduce congestion and travel times and improve safety.

4.     Bethlehem township improvements – a new roundabout at the southern end of the shopping area has been completed and a further roundabout is being developed at the northern end.  The project aims to improve safety, reduce congestion and improve the urban environment through the township.

5.     Pyes Pa bypass – remove through traffic from Tauranga’s residential end of State Highway 36 (Pyes Pa Road) and provide more efficient access between the highway and downtown Tauranga via the Route K toll road.  The bypass cuts through the Lakes development from the crematorium.

6.     Hairini Link - aims to reduce congestion by increasing traffic capacity along Hairini/Turret Road and Fifteenth Avenue and to improve safety including better walkways and cycleways.  The project’s first stage will be to improve the Fifteenth Avenue/Fraser Street intersection.  Future stages could include an additional bridge between Hairini Causeway and Turret Road, extra lanes for high occupancy vehicles and buses along Turret Road and Fifteenth Avenue. 

7.     Girven Road/Maunganui Road intersection – the design is nearly complete.  This is traffic flow and safety driven. 

8.     Tauranga Eastern Link – this 23 kilometre new, four lane highway will be integral to the eastern parts of the city and will form a ‘robust’ transport network to support growth.  The estimated cost is approximately $500 million and will be funded from tolls on the Domain Road to Paengaroa section of the highway.  Land purchase has nearly been completed and engineering investigations are underway.  It is anticipated to be a 5-7 year project. 

9.     Tauriko Bypass – a funding application to investigate bypass options will be considered.  Work includes to assess the feasibility of a bypass around the existing section of the state highway which runs up the hill from Belk Road to the Tauriko service station, along the straight and down the Route K roundabout.