Kia ora koutou katoa

Kōanga – spring is here and we hope that you are enjoying the longer days. We are making great progress in Rotorua along the eastern and western corridors, nearing completion for two major projects at the end of the year.

In Eastside Rotorua, along State Highway 30, the Stage One upgrade between Sala Street and Iles Road is due to finish later this year and early works on local roads have started as part of the Stage Two works. These improvements will make it safer and easier for people to move around and get where they need to.

Works to improve road and roadside safety on the western side of the lake, on SH5 between Tarukenga and Ngongotahā and at the SH5/SH36 (Ngongotahā) roundabout, is also on track for completion.

2021-24 National Land Transport Programme

On 7 September 2021 Waka Kotahi announced a $1.4 billion investment in the Bay of Plenty to deliver a safer, better connected and more resilient transport system capable of supporting significant regional growth.

This investment in the Bay of Plenty is part of the $24.3 billion programme planned for New Zealand’s land transport system over the next three years, detailed in Ngā Kaupapa Huarahi o Aotearoa / 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

Investment in the Bay of Plenty region’s land transport system will support economic growth. The region has a significant role in producing and transporting goods, and needs to respond to high levels of population growth, while providing safe, reliable access and better travel options to connect local communities.

Nearly 90% of journeys to and from work in Rotorua and Tauranga are by private vehicle. Getting people to use safe, accessible and reliable ways to move around these cities is a priority focus for investment in the 2021–24 NLTP.

Full details of the investments being made through the NLTP, including detailed regional breakdowns, can be found at www.nzta.govt.nz/nltp.

Landscaping underway in the centre median on SH30

SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage One

The project has achieved a number of milestones in the recent months including signalisation of the Tarawera Road intersection, the upgrade and opening of the Puarenga Bridge underpass and the upgrading or relocation of key utility services (power, stormwater and water) running the length of SH30/Te Ngae Road between Sala Street and Iles Road.

The upgrade of the Tarawera intersection means one of the busiest intersections in Rotorua is now safer and easier to use. Minor works will continue around the intersection and the final layer of road surface will be applied between Allen Mills Road and Sala Street through to mid-October, weather dependent.

The team is now focusing on completing landscaping works and the shared path construction. At the end of this year, a three-metre-wide shared path will be in place on either side of the road to provide safer cycling and pedestrian facilities for commuters, school children and the general public. Despite COVID-19 Alert Level changes, works have been progressing well and the project remains on track.

Find out more at nzta.govt.nz/eastern-corridor-stage1

Phase One construction benefits

SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two – Phase One

Initial works to improve safety as part of the SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two project have started with the construction of raised safety platforms on three local roads: Tumene Drive, Brent Road and Tennyson Drive.

These raised sections of the road, with ramps on each side, aim to slow vehicles to a safe speed, making the three intersections safer to navigate for all users. Safety is particularly important in these areas due to the number of older and younger people who regularly use these intersections to access schools and retirement villages.

These improvements are carefully timed with the Stage One works already underway on SH30 to manage impact on road users.

About the project

The upgrades between Iles Road and Coulter Road focus on addressing the immediate needs and supporting planned housing development near Wharenui Road. They will improve safety for all road users, make intersections more efficient, support development, and provide better travel choices. The upgrade will commence in three consecutive zones, starting at Iles Road and finishing at Coulter Road. Major improvements are planned for early 2022 and 2023, once the Eastern Corridor Stage One from Sala Street to Iles Road is complete.

In 2020, Phase One received $35 million from the Government’s Crown Infrastructure Partners funding enabling us to support growth and development in Eastside Rotorua.

Find out more at nzta.govt.nz/eastern-corridor-stage2

SH33 near Paengaroa

SH33 safety improvements and Ōkere Falls shared path

Recent wet weather has led to a large number of potholes forming on some of the region’s busiest routes, this includes State Highway 33.

Water does to roads what sugar does to your teeth – it causes our road surfaces to decay and potholes to form. When water penetrates the road surface through cracks, tyre action and weather can quickly turn these cracks into potholes.

While every effort is made to manage this, the problem is often made worse during heavy rain events. Fixing potholes in the rain is difficult and often temporary, however our team on the ground will fill them and go back once it’s dry to properly repair. Last week we experienced a significant amount of rain and potholes did form. Our team do monitor the road when there is wet weather, however, we encourage people to call us on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS and tell us if they see one so we can have it fixed as soon as possible.

Safety improvements

Our team has now moved on to upgrade the sections either side of the area known as the Pareteiro - Sun Valley Curves. Here we’re widening the shoulder and installing flexible safety barriers along the roadside. This is the final section of the 34km safety improvements project to be upgraded and we’re expecting to be finished later next year, which is factoring in annual maintenance work and recent delays due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Ōkere Falls shared path

Progress on the Ōkere Falls shared path and the four pedestrian islands is going well. The plan is to have this all completed in time for summer so people can enjoy walking and biking between Hamurana Road and Ōkere Falls.

More information:

www.nzta.govt.nz/tnj2p
SH33 Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa project map

Ngongotahā roundabout

SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout and SH5 safety improvements

Despite COVID-19 Alert Level changes and ongoing challenging weather conditions, works to improve road and roadside safety on SH5 between Tarukenga and Ngongotahā and reduce congestion at the SH5/SH36 (Ngongotahā) roundabout are progressing well.

The construction of the bypass lane from Ngongotahā to Rotorua is the last stage of the upgrade at the roundabout and includes excavating the bypass lane and constructing new kerbs and islands. Until this work is complete, the Western Road detour remains in place to allow for a safe working environment at the roundabout. Following completion, final surfacing will be completed overnight, and the roundabout will be ready to use. We expect this work to be completed in October.

While our focus remains on the upgrade of the roundabout, we’re continuing with the safety improvements along SH5 between SH36 and Dalbeth Road. This includes widening the road and installing median and side barriers.

The overall completion of the SH5/36 Tarukenga to Ngongotahā safety improvements remains on track for late-2021 with only barrier work to be completed in early-2022.

www.nzta.govt.nz/t2n

SH36 Awahou Bridge shoulder

SH36 Awahou Bridge widening

As part of the Waka Kotahi Speed and Infrastructure Programme we’ve made the SH36 Awahou Bridge safer for pedestrians and cyclists by widening the road shoulder and constructing a footpath alongside the bridge. This project is 99% complete, we’re just waiting on a section of handrail and guardrail to be delivered and installed, it will then be finished. We’d like to thank people for their patience while this work is underway.

SH30 Awakeri

Safer speeds for SH30 Tikitere to Whakatāne

SH30, between Tikitere and Whakatāne, was identified as a road where safer speed limits could make a big difference in preventing deaths and serious injuries. In July we completed public engagement.

We have reviewed all the submissions and a summary of the public engagement and feedback can be found online:

• SH30 Engagement Summary Report
• Read what others had to say on our interactive online map

The public engagement summary outlines the steps taken and what we heard.

Engagement helps us get feedback and local knowledge on how people use the road and their concerns. This helps when deciding if a speed limit change is the best thing to do to improve road safety, where new speed limits might begin or end, and if any other safety improvements might be needed.

The next step is formal consultation. After we’ve reviewed the engagement feedback, and if it is recommended to propose new speed limits, we will formally consult on our recommendations. As part of this we will share a detailed proposal and ask if there are any additional factors we need to consider. 

We plan to share next steps on this speed review in the coming months.

More information about speed and the speed review process is available at nzta.govt.nz/decidingspeedlimits.

SH5/SH30 urban Rotorua speed consultation

We want everyone who uses our roads to get to where they’re going safely. To save lives and prevent serious injuries, we can set safer speed limits.

Consultation on the SH5 and SH30 Rotorua urban speed review closed in April. As changing the speed limit is a legal process, there are numerous steps we need to carefully follow. We expect to announce the outcome of this speed review by the end of this year. More information about speed and the speed review process is available online nzta.govt.nz/decidingspeedlimits

Maintenance season upon us

State highways across the Bay of Plenty will be repaired and resurfaced over the coming months, with the spring/summer road maintenance programme kicking off in October.

Some of the district's significant work sites this season will be on SH36, between Ngongotahā and Pyes Pā, on SH30 between Tihiotonga and Ātiamuri, as well as continuing work on SH33 between Paengaroa and Rotorua.

This season, we will also be implementing more short-term and cost-effective repair solutions such as localised patching and smoothing improvements at select sites, as an alternative to significant repairs.

Across the network, our investment will be focused on ensuring we keep state highways safe. We'll target areas with the greatest needs, focusing on maintaining high-risk areas and those where there are the highest traffic volumes.

We will share more information as the maintenance programmes are finalised.

Working in a changing COVID-19 Alert Level environment

Working within varying COVID-19 Alert Levels reinforces how important thorough and ongoing planning is. Further Alert Level changes may mean additional impact on projects that are in construction. This may be due to supply chain interruptions, workforce and special machinery located in different regions and more. To minimise impact, we continue to prepare and plan for potential changes in Alert Levels as best as we can.

Contractors are following strict industry standards provided by Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) to ensure the safety of workers and road users. People must maintain safe physical distancing of two metres when walking/cycling near the sites.

COVID-19 Alert Level restrictions had no impact on the planning and procurement work for our projects in the planning stages. Works have continued remotely at all alert levels to ensure a continued pipeline of activity in preparation for construction start.

We’ve noticed more people walking, scootering, on rollerblades and on bikes. Everyone should get where they’re going safely whether they’re walking, cycling, driving, motorcycling, using public transport or working on one of our construction sites. We’d like to ask motorists to continue to take extra care.