Upgrade of Rotorua's Tarawera roundabout begins

Major changes will get underway at the State Highway 30/Tarawera Road intersection in Rotorua this week as work to upgrade the busy intersection begins.

We are transforming the existing Tarawera roundabout into a signalised intersection as part of the Eastern Corridor Stage One project.

This intersection is a critical part of Rotorua’s transport network. The existing roundabout is not suitable for cyclists and pedestrians and is no longer functioning optimally during peak travel hours.

Upgrading it will make it a lot safer and easier to use for all modes of travel, as well as providing more reliable journey times.

The work also involves upgrading the services at the intersection, including the undergrounding of powerlines, installing a new watermain and preparing and sealing the road surface.

The temporary layout of the Tarawera roundabout will look like this from October until January 2021.

What you can expect during construction

On Thursday 8 October, the existing Tarawera Road roundabout will be replaced overnight with a temporary, larger roundabout, which will be installed using hit sticks.

From Friday 9 October, a temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place at all times to ensure the safety of the public and contractors.

The new speed limit will make travel through the intersection slower and cause some delays at peak times.

This new layout will be in place until January 2021 and will allow contractors to work on the service upgrades in larger sections of the intersection without affecting the live traffic lanes.

We are asking motorists to expect, and plan for, more significant delays while people are getting used to the new layout.

After January 2021, the temporary roundabout will be adjusted approximately once each month until mid-2021 so contractors can access all remaining areas of the intersection.

The work from now until mid-2021 will focus on upgrading services and constructing the new road surface, as well as preparing the site for its final formation as a signalised intersection.

The signalised intersection is scheduled to be complete by mid-2021.

More information

For more information on the Connect Rotorua project, contact us at ConnectRotorua@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/connect-rotorua