SH2 Waihī to Tauranga works for week beginning Tue 26 Oct

Worksites along State Highway 2 between Waihī and Tauranga will re-open at 9am on Tuesday 26 October, following the Labour weekend holiday.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty System Manager, Roger Brady, says Waka Kotahi aims to minimise works over the long weekend.

“We close down most of our sites over busy holiday periods, such as Labour weekend, to minimise disruption to people’s journeys. While some traffic management will remain in place and continue to be monitored over the weekend, there is no actual work from midday Friday 22 October. We ask drivers to take extra care wherever you spot road cones and temporary speed limits,” says Mr Brady.  

Minimising delays and disruption to people’s journeys in the Bay of Plenty will continue to be a huge focus for Waka Kotahi throughout the summer maintenance and construction season.

“We are working hard with contractors and suppliers to deliver better journeys this construction season, in addition to providing better and more detailed information to road users on any anticipated delays.”

Earlier this week (Tuesday 19 October), PowerCo undertook more work near the Ōmokoroa intersection. On previous occasions this kind of work has caused severe delays. 

“This time, we changed the type of traffic management used, the hours of work and closely monitored the worksite. By changing our approach and working closely with PowerCo and their contractors, we were able to minimise the impacts to people’s journeys.”

This is what you can expect to see on your journey between Waihī and Tauranga this week:

• Athenree Road to Tanners Point Road – road widening works continue throughout the week. Expect minor delays of one to two minutes.
• Tanners Point Road to Kauri Point Road – power and watermain relocations are underway, with expected completion in late-October. Expect minor delays of one to two minutes. 
• Rea Road / Tetley Road intersection – works alongside the highway are ongoing. Expect minor delays of one to two minutes.
• Sharp Road to Sargent Drive – road widening works continue throughout the week. Expect minor delays of one to two minutes.
• SH2 Takitimu Drive –geotechnical investigations will take place on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 October. The SH2 Takitimu Drive shoulder under the Fifteenth Avenue bridge will be closed while this work takes place. This is not anticipated to impact traffic.
• Cambridge / Moffat roads – surveying works will see a southbound shoulder closure in place. This is not anticipated to impact traffic.

As there are multiple worksites on SH2 between Waihī and Tauranga, some delays are expected at times and drivers are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys. 

“Please continue to drive safely, especially through worksites. We want to keep everyone safe, including our road workers. Please slow down, leave space and be patient,” says Mr Brady.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• COVID-19 services update: govt.nz/COVID19(external link)
• Traffic updates: nzta.govt.nz/traffic(external link)
• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP(external link)
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiWaiBP(external link)
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)