Bay of Plenty state highway maintenance programme

Saturday 1 November to Friday 7 November 2025

31 October 2025

Why asphalt ?

The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) summer road maintenance programme is in full swing across the Bay of Plenty, with crews scheduled to continue resurfacing and rebuilding roads through to the end of March 2026. Road resurfacing plays a vital role in infrastructure upkeep, much like applying a fresh coat of paint to a house, it seals out water and protects the underlying layers, helping to prevent potholes from forming. Most road resurfacing and rebuilds are done in the summer months when the temperatures are warmer and there is less rain.

Sandra King, NZTA’s System Manager for the Bay of Plenty, explained that while asphalt is a strong and durable material, ideal for roads with heavy truck traffic and a solid base, it’s not suitable for most urban areas. He noted many people assume asphalt is always the better choice because it’s stronger and longer lasting, but its durability depends heavily on the condition of the layers beneath it.

Asphalt is manufactured by mixing various sizes of stone into a dense cohesive product that requires significant energy to heat and specialised machinery to apply. In contrast, chipseal is a simpler and faster method. The chipsealing method involves spraying bitumen (think of it as a waterproof glue) onto the road surface, then spreading stone chips over it and rolling them into place.

Due to its complexity, asphalt is about 5 times more expensive than chip seal, factoring in manufacturing, energy, transport, and labour costs.

State highway maintenance and renewals update

State highways with scheduled works starting this week:

• SH2 north of Tauranga
• SH29 by Poripori Road
• SH36 Ngongotahā Roundabout

Roadworks may be postponed due to rain or other factors that disrupt the weekly schedule.

Please be aware there may be other less disruptive state highway works not listed in this newsletter.

Check the NZTA Journey Planner for the latest travel information and journey times before starting your journey: journeys.nzta.govt.nz

State Highway 29

Work starting this week

SH29 Poripori Road passing lane: Asphalt resurfacing will start on Sunday 2 November near the passing lanes by Poripori Road taking 5 nights to complete between 7pm and 5am. There will be a reduced speed limit and stop/go traffic management in place for the duration of the work.

SH29 Tauriko: Night works are planned for Sunday 2 November, between 7pm and 6am, to install temporary safety barriers on SH29. Traffic management will include a 3-way stop/go and 30km/h temporary speed limit on the westbound lane of SH29 and Cambridge Road. More information.

Work starting soon

SH29 Kaimai Range closure: The Kaimai Range will close for 5 nights, from Sunday 30 November to Thursday 4 December, between 7.30pm and 4am each night (reopening early Friday morning). These closures are necessary to complete urgent scaling works on the Ruahihi Bluffs, along with routine maintenance, including drain clearing, and road marking and surfacing. Further closure details and more information on access and detours will be provided in the coming week.

SH29 Tauriko, Belk Road to Redwood Lane: From Monday 10 November there will be a lane shift and reduced speed limit of 30km/h in place for 2 weeks, between Belk Road and Redwood Lane, to construct a new central traffic island on the Hamilton side of the SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout. More information.

Work Underway

SH29 Lower Kaimai closure: A 1.5km section of SH29 near Valley View Road is undergoing a full rebuild, with temporary traffic management and reduced speed limits in place until early 2026. The passing lane near Valley View Road will remain closed throughout the works. Works are scheduled weekdays Monday to Friday, with traffic management in place by 7am and contraflow (traffic in both directions) between 8am and 5pm. Overnight Sunday to Thursday, from 7pm to 6am, contraflow will be removed and single lane traffic under stop/go. Weekends - 2 lanes open and no work scheduled. NZTA acknowledges that delays are likely due to the scale and duration of the project and appreciates your patience.

SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road: A reduced speed limit of 70km/h remains in place while crews are working behind the barriers on the construction of a flyover bridge and southbound slip lane works for the Takitimu North Link project. Traffic is anticipated to be diverted onto the flyover bridge and southbound slip lane in the next year while works continue. More information.

SH29 Tauriko: There are multiple active worksites on SH29 between Gargan Road and Cambridge Road. Currently a lane shift and 50km/h speed limit are in place on SH29 between Redwood Lane and Gargan Road for watermain works.

SH29 near Ōmanawa Road: Service relocation work is expected to begin next week. A temporary speed restriction and contraflow system allowing traffic in both directions will be in place from just west of the Ōmanawa Road intersection to Ōmanawa Bridge. This work is expected to take 4 to 6 weeks to complete and part of the Ōmanawa Bridge replacement project.

State Highway 2

Work starting next week

SH2 near Te Manaia Bridge (by Claymark Sawmill): Tree clearing work will take place on Saturday 1 November between 7am and 7pm by the Claymark Sawmill near Katikati. There will be periods of stop/stop traffic management to allow for the trees to be dropped. 

SH2 Snodgrass Road to Loop Road: Road resurfacing will start on Sunday 2 November for 5 nights, between 7pm and 5am, near Ainsworth Road. There will be stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit in place while the work is underway. During the day there will be an uneven surface with a reduced speed limit of 50km/h.

SH2 Moffat Road roundabout: Road resurfacing will start on Sunday 2 November for 3 nights, between 8.30pm and 4.30am at the Moffat Road roundabout in Bethlehem. For the first 2 nights the road will be closed with a detour via Bethlehem Road, Carmichael Road and Te Paeroa Road and back to SH2. The third night of work will see only one lane closed, the Northbound lane will be open. During the day there will be a temporary speed limit in place.

Work underway

SH2/Pahoia/Esdaile intersection: Road widening works are underway at this intersection. Speed restrictions and intermittent stop/go traffic management will be in place, which may result in longer delays.

SH2/Apata Station Road roundabout: Road construction continues for the new roundabout this week. A temporary speed limit will be in place with overnight stop/go traffic management. Motorists should expect delays when traveling overnight.

SH2 Ōmokoroa Road intersection upgrade: Road construction and service relocation works continue in preparation for the new roundabout. A temporary single-lane roundabout is operational at this intersection with speed restrictions and intermittent stop/go. On SH2, overnight road construction starts later this week south of the roundabout. Stop/go traffic management will be in place and delays can be expected. More information.

Wairoa Road: The area around the Wairoa Road overbridge is under stop/go traffic management, weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm, for road construction. This work is due for completion mid-November.  

SH2 Whakamārama, Te Puna: A programme of ground investigations is underway through to December, on key sites near Snodgrass, Ainsworth, Te Puna Quarry and Munro roads, Gill Lane and near Oturu and Te Puna streams. People travelling through this area may notice these activities alongside SH2, which are part of the Takitimu North Link Stage 2 project.

SH2/Fifteenth Ave: One lane at SH2/Fifteenth Ave near Edgecumbe Road is closed while the new connection to SH29/Takitimu Drive Toll Road takes place, this is likely to remain in place until mid-2026. More information.

SH2 Whakamārama, Te Puna: A programme of ground investigations is underway through to December, on key sites near Snodgrass, Ainsworth, Te Puna Quarry and Munro roads, and near Oturu and Te Puna streams. People travelling through this area may notice these activities alongside SH2, which are part of the Takitimu North Link Stage 2 project.

SH2 Rogers Road, Pukehina: A road rebuild of SH2 started Monday 6 October and will continue for about 10 weeks. Monday to Saturday from 6am to 6pm, with stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit throughout the works. The site is approximately 650 metres west of Rogers Road and continues on SH2 for 1.3 kilometres. More information

Eastern Bay of Plenty - State Highways 2 and 35

Work underway

SH2 Rogers Road, Pukehina: A road rebuild started on Monday 6 October, the worksite is approximately 650 metres west of Rogers Road and continues on SH2 for 1.3 kilometres. Initial work includes vegetation clearing and minor earthworks, followed by the road rebuild process. It will take about 10 weeks, Monday to Saturday from 6am to 6pm, with stop/go traffic management in place throughout the works. Delays are to be expected.

SH2 Waimana Gorge, southeast of Tāneatua: Work is underway to repair an underslip. Due to the narrow nature of the site, the road is down to one lane and under 24-hour stop/go traffic management with traffic lights. More information

SH2/Wainui Road, Matekerepu, near Ōpōtiki: A 3-way stop/go traffic management system is in place at the intersection. Next week, while work continues on the new road surface, longer delays may be experienced, and people are encouraged to wash their cars after travelling through the site in case of concrete splashes. The 3-way stop/go is in place until Thursday 18 December. During peak hours, 7.30am to 9am and 3.30pm to 5pm, stop/go will be controlled manually so traffic can be managed according to real traffic queues and to reduce disruption. Outside of peak hours, traffic will be controlled using automatic traffic lights. The roundabout is now partially open to traffic and is expected to be completed by April 2026.  More information.

SH2 Waioweka Gorge: A shoulder closure remains in place in the Waioweka Gorge near Ōpōnae. Repair work is planned and should take approximately 4 months. Stop/go traffic management is currently in place. We expect to finish the main physical works before the Christmas break with some smaller tasks continuing into 2026.
  
SH35 Tōrere: Stop/go traffic management is in place for slip repairs underway near Te Kura O Tōrere east of Ōpōtiki. Work is due to be wrapped up late in December. More information.

Rotorua - State Highways 5, 33 and 36

Delays across SH5: People travelling along SH5 between Rotorua and Tīrau during October will encounter 3 seperate work sites: road rebuilding at SH5 Tārukenga, road maintenance at SH5 near Waiohotu, and SH5/SH28 roundabout construction. People should expect delays and plan ahead. 

Work starting next week

SH5/36 Ngongotahā roundabout: For 1 night on Sunday 2 November between 7pm and 5.30am the southbound lane on SH5, from Western Road to the Ngongotahā, will be closed. Temporary traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place during this time. A detour will be available for southbound traffic via SH5 on to Western Road, right on to SH36 to the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout, HPMV vehicles travelling southbound will detour via SH1 from Tīrau on to SH5 and SH5.

Work starting soon:

SH30 Eastern Corridor, Wharenui Road intersection, Rotorua: Due to an issue with the traffic loops that trigger the lights, they are on automatic time changes and delays may occur at peak times. Work to resolve this is scheduled from Tuesday 11 November, and the intersection’s lights should be operating as intended by the end of next week.

SH30 Rotomā Hills - closure: There will be a 3-day road closure on SH30 between the SH33/SH30 roundabout and the SH30/SH34 intersection to enable crews to undertake maintenance at multiple worksites along the corridor. The closure will be in place from 8am to 6pm daily from Tuesday 11 November to Thursday 13 November. The available detour is via SH33 to SH2 to SH34 and then back to SH30 and in reverse.

SH30A Amohau Street, Rotorua: Resurfacing of 4 lanes (2 in each direction) of SH30A, between Te Ngae Road and Fenton Street, will begin 8am Monday 10 November and continue until 5.30pm Friday 12 December. While this work is underway the road will be closed between SH30 Te Ngae Road, Hinemaru Street and the right-turn bay in to Pak’nSave. Crews will be working Monday to Saturday 24 hours a day to ensure the work is completed quickly and safely. When no work is taking place there will be one lane open in each direction.

Work underway

SH33 Ōkere Falls: A road rebuild is underway between Ōkere Falls and Whangamarino School and is expected to take 8 weeks, finishing Friday 5 December. On weekdays, between 6am to 5pm, there will be lane closures between Hamurana Road and Ōkere Falls Road. Stop/go traffic management with speed restrictions will be in place for the duration of the work.

BOP summer renewals map

The map below indicates worksites which may impact your journeys this summer maintenance season.

More information

For more information on the Bay of Plenty state highway maintenance programme, contact us at BOPmaintenance@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/bop-maintenance

View our state highway maintenance frequently asked questions.

For information about what’s happening with other infrastructure projects across the region please visit Bay of Plenty projects website