One of the Info Days at Rotorua Lakes High School last month.

Thanks for coming to see us!

Thank you to everyone who attended one of our Transport Info Days last month. We held three sessions across the city alongside Rotorua Lakes Council to showcase all of the work being carried out, and planned for, on Rotorua's transport network.

It was great to speak to you, hear your questions and concerns, and share more about what's coming up. You can view a short video of our session at Rotorua Lakes High School. 

If you couldn't make one of the sessions and have a question about any of our work, feel free to email us on connectrotorua@nzta.govt.nz 

SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout improvements

Delays are being experienced as we work to upgrade the Ngongotahā roundabout, we know this can be frustrating. Every morning and evening traffic queuing is monitored by site staff – either on the ground or in a vehicle.

Currently, morning delays vary from 10 to 20 minutes. Afternoon peak leaving Rotorua is heavy and can be up to 30 minutes.

After monitoring queues, we usually have a good idea of delay patterns, but congestion at this roundabout varies day to day. There is nothing consistent about the delays or days of the week the queues are forming. 

While we are doing our best to minimise delays, people can expect it to be congested between 7.30am and 8:30am and between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, Monday to Thursday. On Fridays it seems to be building earlier from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. We thank you for your patience during this time. 

Upcoming changes – Western Road detour

For the next phase of the roundabout upgrade we need to close a short section of SH36 and put in a detour for northbound traffic.

People travelling from Rotorua to Ngongotahā Village, Hamurana and Tauranga will need to travel via Western Road.

Weather permitting, the detour will be in place from Monday 3 May for up to six weeks. When the detour goes live the new SH5/SH36 free flow (slip) lane will open to traffic. The detour does not affect southbound traffic heading into Rotorua.

The detour will be monitored to ensure traffic is flowing and adjusted if necessary. A temporary roundabout will also be installed in the Ngongotahā Village at the SH36/Western Road intersection to help with traffic flow. At times, we may include manual traffic control.

We ask people to take extra care, especially at the Ngongotahā Village end.

You can view the design of the upgraded roundabout. Timing-wise, it is programmed to be complete by the end of July 2021. 

Ōkere Falls to Hamurana Road shared path

We're making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists between Ōkere Falls and Hamurana Road by constructing a new shared path alongside SH33 and installing four pedestrian refuge islands.

Several challenges were faced when designing the shared path in this area. An at-grade (road level) option, with a median pedestrian refuge island is much safer than what is currently available.

Consultation closed in March. After completing a review of the submissions and the proposed design, as well as discussions with Council and iwi partners, a decision was made to move forward with the proposed shared path and pedestrian refuge islands.

More information about the shared path, how pedestrian refuge islands work, why we aren’t extending it to Mourea or Maniatutu Road or building an underpass, can be found in the frequently asked questions.

We'll be able to share more details about construction in the coming weeks. 

SH5/SH30 Rotorua urban speed review

Consultation on the SH5/SH30 Rotorua Old Taupō Road/Hemo Road Roundabout speed review closes tomorrow, Wednesday 21 April at 5pm.

We're proposing to set new permanent speed limits on this corridor. Before we make a decision, we want to hear from you.

If you wish to make a submission on the proposed changes you can use our online form, or download a printable form and send it to us. All consultation information is available on our website, or you can submit feedback online. 

Let's keep our workers safe, make sure you following temporary speed limits on site.

SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage One

This week we're due to make the final shift of the temporary Tarawera roundabout. 

The new layout will mirror the current layout, shifting towards the Redwood Centre. This will allow contractors to complete the remaining sections of road before the signalised intersection is installed. Also at this site contractors will be closing Marino Road at the intersection for approximately four weeks from 27 April to complete service work. 

Keep our workers safe

You may notice additional safety signage popping up on site in the coming weeks. Speeding through our work sites is a common issue and poses a significant safety risk for our workers. We're encouraging everyone to stick to the posted speed limits to help make sure our workers get home safe at the end of each day. 

March project update

Our latest project update is now available, featuring interesting stories from on site, and our updated construction timeline.