Tauriko Enabling Works

SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works to get underway

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Tauriko West is one of the largescale communities planned to cater for the western Bay of Plenty’s growth, and expected to provide approximately 4000 much needed new homes. Up to 2400 homes will be enabled through the Tauriko Enabling Works, a programme of work delivered together by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Tauranga City Council (TCC).

These upgrades will improve safety at intersections of State Highway 29 with Redwood Lane, Belk Road and Cambridge Road. They will enable housing development within Tauriko West, with the first homes expected to be developed from 2027, support continued development of Tauriko Business Estate, and improve access to public transport.

Following a thorough tender process, Downer will deliver the project on behalf of NZTA and TCC and construction will start at the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout with mobilisation works already underway.

New roundabout at SH29/Redwood Lane, looking towards Tauranga (artist impression)

SH29/Redwood Lane intersection upgrade

The upgrades in this area will provide access to the new community planned in Tauriko West and the Tauriko Business Estate, improve safety, and provide ways to move around the area and include:

• a new roundabout at SH29/Redwood Lane which will connect to Tauriko Business Estate via Kaweroa Drive and provide access to the southern part of Tauriko West via Redwood Lane
• a new shared path connecting Redwood Lane to Kaweroa Drive crossing underneath SH29
• closure of the existing SH29/Belk Road intersection, with traffic redirected through Tauriko Business Estate to the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout. The existing SH29/Belk Road intersection will only be closed once the connecting roads and the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout have been completed.

New SH29/Cambridge Road intersection, looking north towards Tauranga city centre (artist impression)

SH29/Cambridge Road and Tauriko Village intersection upgrades

The upgrades in this area will provide access to the new community planned in Tauriko West, improve safety, and provide ways to move around the area and include:

• a new intersection with traffic lights on SH29 at Tauriko Village to provide access to the northern part of Tauriko West
• widening of SH29 between the new intersection at Tauriko Village and Cambridge Road, including provision of a new shared walking and cycling path along the northern side of SH29
• an upgrade of the existing SH29/Cambridge Road intersection with traffic lights and a new connection to Whiore Avenue for buses, people walking and cycling only
• a new footpath along the southern side of Whiore Avenue and provision for future bus stops. The new bus stops and an on-road, 2-way, protected cycle lane between the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection and Taurikura Drive will be installed once the first homes in the new Tauriko West community have been developed and demand increases.

Future Tauriko West transport improvements

The Tauriko Network Connections Detailed Business Case looks at future transport upgrades to State Highway 29, State Highway 29A and State Highway 36 in the Tauriko area.

The preferred option includes a new 4-lane SH29 from Redwood Lane to the new Takitimu North Link interchange, existing SH29A widened to 6 lanes (2 bus-only, 4 general traffic) from Takitimu Drive Toll Road to Barkes Corner, integrated walking and cycling connections and an improved public transport network.

It delivers on the outcomes we heard are important to the community; it supports a thriving and growing community, provides choice in how people want to travel, protects strategic freight routes to and from the Port of Tauranga, provides safety for all users, and improves resilience and environmental outcomes.

The option has been endorsed by the Waka Kotahi Board and our partner councils Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council. We will seek funding for the first 3 phases of the preferred option via the upcoming 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) prioritisation process.

Find out more at nzta.govt.nz/tauriko-network-plan.

Planning for the new community at Tauriko West

Tauranga City Council continues its planning work to create a thriving community for locals to live, work, learn and play.

This includes completing the Structure Plan (which integrates with the transport planning underway), changes to the Tauranga City Plan to enable urban development, assessment of effects, and development of a comprehensive stormwater consent.

Tauranga City Council has recently publicly notified a proposal to rezone the Tauriko West urban growth area from rural to residential, through a variation to Plan Change 33: Enabling Housing Supply.

The Tauriko West plan change includes:

• rezoning the growth area which is currently Rural Zone to Medium Density Residential Zone
• mechanisms to protect the values (cultural, heritage and landscape) of the Wairoa River
• provisions that limit to 2400 the number of homes able to be established on the basis of the Enabling Works improvements
• provisions to enable the establishment of small-scale commercial activities in local and neighbourhood centres
• provisions to manage flood risk within the growth area.

Public submissions run until Tuesday 9 April 2024. Find out more at tauranga.govt.nz/variation1-pc33.

More information

Read more and sign up for updates about the project at nzta.govt.nz/tauriko-enabling-works.

For more information on the SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works project, contact us at bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz.