SH2 Waihī to Tauranga Corridor

Project update

26 August 2025

Steady progress on SH2 intersections over winter months

Even through the wet winter months, which can be a challenge for road construction, we’ve been able to progress safety at 3 key intersections along State Highway 2 (SH2) from Apata Station Road to Ōmokoroa Road.  The SH2/Ōmokoroa Road intersection upgrade will address safety and capacity in this developing area, and the 2 roundabouts further north on the state highway will contribute to making travel safer and more efficient for everyone using this very busy corridor.

Completion of the Apata Station Road Roundabout is expected in spring 2025, dependent on weather conditions.

Apata Station Road Roundabout – the end is in sight!

Another great milestone has been reached this month as we work towards completion of the Apata Station Road Roundabout on SH2 between Waihī and Ōmokoroa.

If you have driven through the site, you may have noticed the asphalt leading into the roundabout isn’t complete. This is because we can’t do the final layer until the temperatures warm up in spring.

Until then, a temporary speed limit and ramps will remain in place to safely manage the changes in surface levels. We appreciate your patience as we work to deliver a smooth and durable finish.

Fill site at SH2/Pahoia/Esdaile intersection.

Pahoia/Esdaile intersection

The work adjacent to SH2/Esdaile intersection continues to progress well. Construction of fill sites is underway, along with the installation of services such as telecommunications ducting and watermains.

This is an important part of construction because often these services run directly through or near the area where we’re building. Relocating them at the beginning of construction prevents our teams encountering them unexpectedly, causing work to stop while emergency relocations or repairs are being made.

SH2/Youngson Road intersection.

SH2/Ōmokoroa Road Roundabout traffic switch

We’re excited to share the first switch has now taken place at the SH2/Ōmokoroa Road Roundabout. As part of this change, there will be no right turn into or out of Youngson Road from SH2 for several weeks. However, left turns into and out of Youngson Road remain open. For southbound drivers needing access to Youngson Road, detour routes are clearly signposted and available via Esdaile Road and the Old Highway.

Once this work is complete, the team will start phase 2 of the roundabout construction. During this phase, Youngson Road will be closed to vehicles both entering and exiting the road, and a detour will be in place. This work is also likely to take up to 6 weeks, and we will share with you closer to the time what to expect.

We know this may be inconvenient, and we appreciate your patience while we work to make the network safer and more efficient.

Completion of the roundabout is scheduled for mid-2026.

You will find more information here.

There is currently no right turn into or out of Youngson Road from SH2 due to roundabout construction at the SH2/Ōmokoroa Road intersection.

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We’re changing how we tell you about upcoming roadworks, focusing more on using emails.

Sign up to receive regular email updates about upcoming maintenance on Bay of Plenty state highways.

Emails and social media are now the way most people prefer to hear about the maintenance we’re doing, and they’re more cost-effective and efficient – for example, we can easily tell you about late changes to works happening, such as when planned roadworks are affected by the weather.

Our Facebook page will continue to share updates about significant maintenance that we’re doing, but we’ll have a more comprehensive preview of upcoming work in our emails and will tell you about work happening on state highways in your region in the week ahead.

Our website has a full list of maintenance email updates for every region – if you regularly travel across regions, sign up for emails from the regions relevant to you.

In some cases, you'll also get printed letters from us about work happening in your area.

More information

For more information on the SH2 Waihī to Tauranga Corridor projects, contact us at bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/sh2-waihi-to-tauranga-corridor