Connecting Mount Maunganui

Project Update

Welcome to the first update for the Connecting Mount Maunganui project. Please feel free to forward this update to your networks who can subscribe directly here.

The Connecting Mount Maunganui project is a collaborative effort to make it safer to move through and around Mount Maunganui, connecting communities by providing better travel choices, and enabling people and goods to safely get to where they need to go.

This is a very complex area with competing priorities, and we understand how important it is to find the right solution.

The need for change

The Western Bay of Plenty is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fastest growing areas.

We recognise that our population growth and increasing economic activity (especially the amount of freight going to and from the Port of Tauranga), means delays on key routes are getting worse.  Daily traffic is increasing by about 8% each year, affecting people’s quality of life, productivity, and ability to travel easily around the area.

High volumes of vehicles travelling, and a lack of viable alternatives (walking, cycling etc) also cause negative environmental impacts, particularly for Whareroa Marae, the Tauranga Harbour and public health (air quality).

To enable the transport system across this area to function effectively and meet everyone’s needs, travel through State Highway 2 / Hewletts Road (as well as Tōtara Street, Hull Road, and Maunganui Road) needs to be more consistent and predictable to support economic growth. Our public transport service needs to improve, and we need better links so people can safely bus, bike and walk to make the whole area function effectively to meet everyone’s needs.

About the project

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Ngāi Tukairangi and Ngāti Kuku are working together to improve safety and create better transport connections across Mount Maunganui.

Our first step is to complete an Indicative Business Case (IBC). In this phase, we investigate options and make assessments, considering things like feasibility, affordability, complexity and whether an option is fit for purpose.

The IBC will provide us with a recommended option to deliver the following benefits and outcomes:

• Improving travel time reliability for the increasing numbers of people and goods moving through the area.
• Improving road safety for everyone.
• Increasing the attractiveness and availability of public transport and active travel options (walking, cycling etc) in the area, and between the two sides of the harbour.
• Providing accessibility between Mount Maunganui, the eastern side of the harbour and Tauranga.
• Maintaining freight and commercial vehicle accessibility, particularly during off-peak times.
• Reducing transport related emissions and environmental effects.

Project timeline

2022/2024 – Complete the IBC which identifies and confirms the preferred option to investigate further in the Detailed Business Case (DBC).

2024/2025 – DBC to begin, pending project and funding approval. The DBC further investigates and refines the preferred option. Once complete, we will have a better idea of the programme of works to design and implement the agreed improvements.

2026 onwards – After the DBC is approved, and subject to funding approval, detailed design begins to seek resource consent approvals. Construction will then take place over several years.

Project lifecycle

We are in the Indicative Business Case phase.

Indicative Business Case

The project is now in the IBC phase which confirms the need for investment, the case for change, and identifies a preferred way forward after considering a range of options.

In this phase, early stakeholder engagement is undertaken. The benefits of addressing the issues, constraints and opportunities are also considered.

More information about this phase can be found here.

The current situation

Mount Maunganui is a major residential, commercial, and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area. SH2 Hewletts Road, Tōtara Street, Maunganui Road and surrounding areas are the focus of the Connecting Mount Maunganui project.

SH2 Hewletts Road and Tōtara Street are busy routes for port and industrial traffic as well as providing residential, work and school access to and from the Mount.

SH2 Hewletts Road numbers

• 35k vehicles per day, 3.5k (9%) are heavy commercial vehicles.
• 52 bus movements per day, which will increase with new public transport plans.
• 300 cyclists per day cross the Tauranga Harbour bridge; 60 on SH2 Hewletts Road from Tōtara Street - Golf Road.
• 88 people per day walk and cross the Tauranga Harbour Bridge; 65 walk along SH2 Hewletts Road.
• There is mixed industrial and commercial business along SH2 Hewletts Road with multiple driveways throughout the corridor.
• Housing growth along the Pāpāmoa coast/Te Puke /Paengaroa, and freight growth are expected to be significant.

Tōtara Street numbers

• 19k vehicles per day, 1.2k (6%) are heavy commercial vehicles.
• 242 cyclists per day use the Tōtara Street shared path.
• 23 people per day walk along Tōtara Street.
• Tōtara Street is one of the main accessways to the industrial area and some of the port gates. It is also one way to get to Mauao and shopping and recreational facilities at the Mount.
• Demand at the Tōtara Street/SH2 Hewletts Road intersection exceeds the design capacity, particularly for the southbound right turn movement.

Figures are approximate.

Engagement

We have spoken to interest groups (such as representatives from cycling, port, heavy haulage), held a stakeholder workshop, and as part of Tauranga City Council’s spatial plan engagement, have asked people to share their views on better transport options and easier ways to get around the area.

As part of the project journey, we are working closely with Whareroa Marae hapū (Ngāi Tukairangi and Ngāti Kuku) as project partners to develop the preferred option.

There will be further opportunities for community engagement once we enter the Detailed Business Case phase.

Recommended option

After considering a range of options, the team has put forward a recommended option which is in development (see below). This is subject to change as we undertake further investigation and analysis.

Next steps

Work will continue to refine and confirm the preferred option. This includes further investigation and analysis of two key intersections including the Tōtara St/SH2 Hewletts Road and Golf Road/Maunganui Road/SH2 Hewletts Road intersections. This is designed to provide the team with confidence that the solutions proposed will be feasible, constructable, fundable and will deliver the benefits sought.

More information

For more information about the project, visit the Connecting Mount Maunganui website.

If you have any queries or comments, please email: bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz