Work will begin early next month on the completion of the Pyes Pa Bypass, a bypass of the 4.6 kilometre residential section of State Highway 36 (Pyes Pa Rd).
Work will begin early next month on the completion of the Pyes Pa Bypass, a bypass of the 4.6 kilometre residential section of State Highway 36 (Pyes Pa Rd).
NZTA State Highway Manager Rod James said that the $8.4M contract to construct the remaining 4.2 kilometres of the $51M project, which is being jointly funded by NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Tauranga City Council, was awarded to HEB Construction Ltd last month.
“This is another important piece in the overall Bay of Plenty roading strategy. Once completed, the Pyes Pa Bypass will provide more efficient access to and from downtown Tauranga via Route K (the Takitimu Drive toll road) and remove inter-regional traffic from the residential section of SH36 Pyes Pa Rd,” said Mr James.
The first 400 metres of the bypass was constructed in 2006 by Grasshopper Farms under an agreement reached as part of The Lakes subdivision. This four way agreement was between NZTA and Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Grasshopper Farms. Construction of the earthworks formation and preloading of the remaining 4.1km was completed in April 2009.
Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby said that the new bypass would be a valuable asset for the city.
“Tauranga is growing fast and as a city we need to make sure we are putting infrastructure in place which provides solutions for now and will continue to do so as the city grows. Once it’s finished the new bypass will provide seamless flow for traffic coming from the Mount through Route K and on to Pyes Pa and Rotorua via SH36.” said Mr Crosby.
The majority of the project construction will be undertaken off road with minimal disruption to traffic. The bypass should be opened to traffic in July 2011.
