Approximately 110 lane kilometres of state highway in the Bay of Plenty will either be rebuilt or resealed over coming summers, with a significant portion of this planned to take place over the next 6 months.
“The Bay of Plenty state highway network is heavily used every day by a variety of road users, including freight operators, commuters, and tourists,” says Sandra King, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Bay of Plenty System Manager.
“To complete the volume of road renewals, and because it’s road works season, people can expect some disruption to their travels this summer. Road rebuilding can often involve replacing all or most of the structural road layers. It’s intensive work with some sections under construction for extended periods of time.
“We’re always looking at how we can minimise disruption by thinking differently and challenging ourselves and our suppliers to be as effective as possible. This includes using methods such as undertaking works at night and over school holiday periods when traffic flows are lighter, allowing suppliers to work safely, maintain quality, and ensure disruption is minimised," Ms King explains.
While there will be various maintenance worksites across the Bay of Plenty this summer, there is a focus on State Highway 29 (SH29), with eight asphalt renewal sites, including near Hanga Road, the Kaimai Café and Kaimai School. To minimise impacts to traffic, this work will be done at night and starts this month.
Some renewal sites have kicked off early, with SH2 Te Puna asphalt works now completed, and crews making the most of the weather now with 2 worksites on State Highway 2 (SH2) between Paengaroa and Ōtamarākau already halfway through construction.
As much work as possible will be completed before Christmas, then there will be a short break over the holiday period. Crews will then get back into it until autumn sets in.
“With so much work taking place it is inevitable road users will come across worksites and traffic management. When you see roadworkers out on the road, travel safely through their site, follow signage and any instructions you receive, and give them a wave to say thanks for their tremendous work,” says Ms King.
To plan ahead and see where disruptive works are, people can use the NZTA Journey Planner.
NZTA Journey Planner(external link)
This is kept up to date in real time so you can see all disruptive activity and potential hazards on the state highway network.
Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highway works as at 11 October 2024 [PDF, 204 KB]
