Holiday construction shut down period

Our construction sites in Rotorua will shut down for the holiday period from Wednesday 23 December 2020. Some sites may open from midday 5 January, however most will delay reopening until Monday 11 January 2021.

We will remove as much of our traffic management as possible to allow free-flow of traffic – leaving only what is critical from a safety perspective. 

Thank you again for your patience and for adhering to any temporary speed limits in place.

SH30/Te Ngae Road at the Sala Street intersection

SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage One

Construction is progressing well on the $17 million Stage One project, from Sala Street to Iles Road. Thank you for your patience as we complete these works – we know delays have been challenging at times. 

We’re pleased to report the upgrade of the Sala Street intersection is expected to be complete prior to Christmas. This is an exciting milestone for the project. This upgrade includes a new slip lane from Sala Street into Te Ngae Road, upgrades to the traffic light system, new cycling and pedestrian facilities, and the removal of the rugby club entrance. 

Completion of this work will reduce the eastbound delays experienced over the last few months. Early in the New Year our focus will turn to the Tarawera roundabout, with alterations to the temporary roundabout planned for late January. We will also begin work on constructing the new eastbound lane between Allen Mills and Iles roads.

For more information you can visit nzta.govt.nz/eastern-corridor-stage1

SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout

SH5 Tarukenga to Ngongotahā

Work started on the first section, between Dalbeth and Dansey Roads, early September. It’s progressing well with completion expected February. To make it safer we’re installing a wide centreline or flexible median safety barriers and side barriers at high risk locations. Before the holiday period, we’ll have the site cleared of any traffic management and line markings will be in place. 

For the other two sections, including the State Highway 5/State Highway 36 roundabout improvements, work is expected to get underway in early January. When the successful contractor has confirmed their programme and traffic impacts, we will share this with you.

When construction starts early next year, you can expect a busy few months. We’ll do our best to minimise travel delays and disruption. People will be inconvenienced in some way during construction and we’ll try to minimise delay times though the area. We will keep the local community up to date throughout the process.

For more information on the $15 million safety and roundabout improvements visit nzta.govt.nz/t2n

SH33 Paengaroa completed safety improvements

SH33 Paengaroa to Te Ngae Junction

The safety improvements along State Highway 33 between the SH30/SH33 Te Ngae Junction and Paengaroa have progressed well. We’re currently working on a 7.9km stretch, split into two sections, between Ōkere Falls and Allport Road. Safety improvements include road widening to allow for a wider shoulder and a 0.8m wide centreline, installing side barriers at high-risk locations (where trees and other hazards can’t be removed) and relocating services. The northern section includes construction of a new southbound passing lane that travels up the long hill towards Rotorua. Final road sealing and line markings are underway, and the new passing lane is planned to be open by Christmas, subject to the weather.

Construction is expected to move onto the final sections over the next few months so work on this project is expected to be completed in 2021.

Between Mourea and Ōkere Falls we are still coordinating the design of the safety improvements with the proposed shared path. We plan to consult with the community and stakeholders on this early next year. 

For more information you can visit nzta.govt.nz/tnj2p

SH30 Sala Street pedestrian crossing

Waka Kotahi heard concerns from the Whakarewarewa School community about the SH30/Sala Street pedestrian crossing. This project was to make it safer for people to cross SH30 by providing children and their families a safe place to wait that provides good visibility of the road in both directions, so they can safely cross the road. It also made them more visible to approaching traffic.

The good news is this project is just about finished. All the safety improvements are complete. We’re now waiting for new seal to be laid on the road, followed by the line marking. This has been delayed due to weather and we hope to see it finished before Christmas.

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