SH2 Waihī to Tauranga Corridor

Project update

25 June 2025

Apata Station Road roundabout

Apata Roundabout completion in sight

If you’ve travelled along State Highway 2 (SH2) recently, you’ll have noticed the Apata Station Road roundabout site has been a hive of activity.

Thanks to a warm, long and dry summer, and some extended dry weather in autumn, our team has been able to maintain momentum making excellent progress - with completion of the roundabout expected later this year.

The team is now focused on concrete works, such as the median islands and kerbing. Once this is completed, they’ll move onto the final parts of the job, including the asphalt layers of road pavement and landscaping.

Winter is here

Winter has arrived, bringing colder temperatures, wet conditions, and shorter daylight hours - all of which make construction more challenging.

Over the next few months, there will be times when our teams can’t complete work as planned. Despite being prepared, weather conditions - especially in winter - can cause delays. Fortunately, our teams are experienced and well equipped to handle these seasonal challenges.

When poor weather is expected to impact construction, we’ll shift the work by a few days. Our crews will then make up for lost time wherever possible, including making the most of overnight work.

Some elements of the work need warmer temperatures to comply with industry standards. This means the final surface of asphalt can’t be placed until the weather warms up later in the year.

We’d also like to remind everyone winter weather can make driving conditions more difficult. If you're travelling through our work sites, please slow down, stay alert, and pay close attention to our crews and temporary signage.

Speed restrictions at Esdaile and Pahoia roads

Speed restrictions are currently in place at the intersection of SH2 and Esdaile/Pahoia roads, so SH2 widening works can be carried out safely.

People are asked to take extra care as there will be lots of truck and trailers crossing the state highway during the day. This will be in place for some time and reducing the speed limit in this area makes the intersection safer for everyone travelling through.

Rolling blocks – what are they and why do we use them?

Have you ever seen one of our large traffic management trucks slowly moving along the state highway with flashing lights and a big “X” lit up on the back?

These are called rolling blocks, and they’re used to alert drivers that something is happening up ahead - like a work site being set up or our crew are on foot ahead of them.

As you approach, you might first notice a smaller vehicle parked on the roadside with an electronic sign warning of changes ahead. Then you’ll see the large traffic truck moving slowly with all its lights flashing.

Interestingly, by the time you pass, you might not see any work happening. That’s because the team has often already completed their task or moved off the road—thanks to the rolling block keeping them safe.

So, if you come across one of these vehicles, please slow down, stay alert, and be patient. Someone is out there working to improve the road for all of us.

Lane shift at SH2/Ōmokoroa Road roundabout

Recently, the temporary SH2 and Ōmokoroa Road roundabout shifted slightly south, allowing construction to continue southbound on SH2, from Ōmokoroa Road.

While the majority of people travelling through the roundabout won't notice a huge change, those who need to turn right onto Youngson Road will need to take more care as the right-turn bay into Youngson Road has been removed temporarily. People are still able to turn right into Youngson Road, but if you are, please be patient and follow the traffic management in place. We plan to reinstate the right-turn bay in the summer period, later this year.

Construction of this roundabout is anticipated to be completed by mid-2026.

A view of the new Takitimu Drive Flyover, at SH29, looking west towards Smiths Farm and over the Kopurererua Valley

Shifting gear for the winter season on Takitimu North Link

Winter sees our Takitimu North Link project crews shift focus from bulk earthworks to building structures, environmental controls, planting, and drainage. When the ground is very wet, there’s a risk to safety and the environment to keep doing earthworks, but the rest of the project remains in full swing.

We have 6 bridges under construction at SH2/Fifteenth Ave, SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road (TDTR), Smiths Farm, Wairoa River and Minden Gully, and work on these will continue for the remainder of the year. Our drainage crew are installing 3 large culverts between Cambridge Road and SH29/TDTR over winter, as well as local network drainage in the Te Mete area. Check out the photos in our recent newsletter to see progress across the site.

During these wetter months, our environmental team is continually checking the site and working alongside crews to ensure all the environmental controls in place are holding up under diverse weather conditions.

Looking over SH2 / Loop Road

Is it a bridge? Nope, it’s a really big culvert

If you’re a regular traveller along SH2 at Te Puna, west of Tauranga, you would have seen work underway beside the state highway, where our Takitimu North Link project team is building a large culvert. It’s a point of interest we get lots of questions about, and rightly so as this is not a normal culvert. It’s more like a bridge with a very thick floor - 1.2m thick!

When finished, 4 lanes of traffic will travel over this 32m wide culvert, which is near the project’s major western interchange at Te Rangi tua nehe Minden.  Beneath it, the Oturu Stream tributary will flow toward I’Anson Reserve.

The culvert is designed to handle a 100-year weather event and accommodate floodwaters without causing upstream flooding or overtopping the state highway. From an ecological perspective, it includes a stream simulation to allow fish passage. During the work, our team has found a variety of species, including shortfin tuna (eel), longfin tuna, and banded kōkopu.

This area of our site is referred to as the western tie-in to SH2. It’s also where Takitimu North Link Stage 1 and Stage 2 meet. We’re continuing to explore the connection between the 2 stages, including the design and sequencing, given the target start date for Stage 2 (end of 2027) and its interaction with the completion of Stage 1 in 2028. We’ve been consulting with Western Bay of Plenty District Council, QEII Trust, and local residents at Loop Road on a revised design over recent months, and this work is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

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