The NZ Transport Agency is advising Bay of Plenty motorists to start their journey online and plan ahead to avoid delays as work continues on a major safety programme and other road work projects.
Speed restrictions and traffic management will be in place along both State Highway 2 and State Highway 29 this month and people may experience minor delays.
The Transport Agency’s Bay of Plenty journey manager, Nigel D’Ath says people travelling around the region should go to www.drivelive.nz/tauranga(external link) , a dedicated website that tells people what the current travel times are to get to key places.
“The website is linked to high-tech sensors which use bluetooth technology to record travel time around the region,” he says.
“The information is streamed live to www.drivelive.nz/tauranga(external link) so travellers know what to expect and can share the information with others.”
Routes on the website include the Tauranga CBD to Te Puna, Tauriko, Hairini, Papamoa, Te Puke and further afield to Waihi, across the Kaimai Range, Whakatane and Rotorua.
Mr D’Ath says the DriveLive initiative helps people to plan ahead and work out the best time to travel, and what time they are likely to arrive at their destination.
“Not only will travellers know what to expect, they will be able to share that information with others,” he says.
Mr D’Ath says the NZ Transport Agency and project consultants, Beca decided to roll out the initiative as there are a number of large roading projects in the pipeline, such as the Maungatapu Underpass and Bayfair to Baypark project (B2B).
Sites where people may experience more than five minutes delays are detailed below:
A 30km/h speed restriction and lane changes will be in place on SH29 through the Route K toll plaza from midnight tonight (July 31) when the new electronic toll gantry goes live.
The manual toll plaza will no longer be in use and motorists should not stop when travelling through. The road will be restricted to one lane north and one lane south and motorists are advised to drive with care. The changes will be in place for approximately one month while the toll plaza is deconstructed.
Stop/go traffic management, lane changes and speed restrictions will be in place along parts of SH2 between Tauranga and Waihi this month as a major safety improvement programme continues.
Contractors will be working on nine sites on the route and motorists are advised to allow an extra 10 minutes when travelling on this route. The work is expected to finish in late August.
Lane closures and speed restrictions remain in place on sections of SH2 and SH29 in Tauranga while contractors continue to carry out geotechnical investigations as part of the Bayfair to Baypark project.
The majority of the work is being done outside of peak travel times, and at night to minimise delays to motorists.
DriveLive is among a range of travel information options available to people travelling around New Zealand.
For personalised information about driving conditions on frequently used routes, motorists can also check out and sign up to On The Move at www.onthemove.govt.nz(external link) .
For extra real time information on highway conditions and incidents on the network visit www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/(external link) (external link) , call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS or follow @nztawaibop on twitter.
