Council major projects infrastructure portfolio manager Chris Barton said the council anticipated that during construction, there would be significant traffic disruption, \u201cwhich is unavoidable\u201d.<\/p>\n
Turret Rd is set for changes as part of the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay upgrade. Photo \/ Kelly O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n
Barton said to reduce this, the council sought feedback on a range of proposed short\u2011term improvements designed to move more people, improve safety and support alternative travel options.<\/p>\n
The short-term improvements included smarter traffic signals, lane adjustments, travel time messaging boards and better navigational app data, and support for other travel choices such as walking, cycling and carpooling.<\/p>\n
Barton said Fraser St was one of the key alternative corridors.<\/p>\n
The proposed improvements and community feedback would be considered in a report to the council late this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also working with NZTA, which is investigating the proposed conversion of bus lanes on Hewletts Rd to high occupancy vehicle<\/a> lanes, which is anticipated to improve the capacity of this key alternative route.\u201d<\/p>\n Construction was estimated to increase morning peak journeys to and from the city centre. <\/p>\n Estimated morning peak delay:<\/p>\n From Welcome Bay via Welcome Bay Rd and Turret Rd: +9 minutesFrom P\u0101p\u0101moa via SH29A and Turret Rd: +11 minutes<\/p>\n Estimated afternoon peak delay:<\/p>\n To Welcome Bay via Welcome Bay Rd and Turret Rd: +17 minutesTo P\u0101p\u0101moa via SH2\/Hewletts Rd: +6 minutesTo P\u0101p\u0101moa via Turret Rd and SH29A: +19 minutes. <\/p>\n To reduce traffic disruption, the council was considering night works, more work during school holidays when there was less traffic on the roads, lane closures, diversions, better traffic monitoring and travel-time messaging, and effective construction set-up.<\/p>\n The project was also likely to be delivered in sections and stages to manage disruption.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is possible that Turret Rd\/Hairini Bridge will close for short periods of time to allow for work to be done,\u201d Barton said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is unlikely that any closures would be for long periods of time \u2013 possibly a few weeks at a time rather than months.\u201d<\/p>\n Barton said the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay link was a key city arterial route that connected between SH2 and SH29A.<\/p>\n He said SH29A was \u201calready constrained\u201d particularly in peak periods at key Welcome Bay, Oropi and Cameron Rd intersections. <\/p>\n \u201cDuring construction we anticipate this congestion will get worse. However, once the upgrade is completed, additional capacity on the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay link is expected to reduce current congestion and delays.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the council did not anticipate the project would add significant additional congestion on SH2 during construction, but when work was being carried out on 15th Ave there could be additional delays on the SH2 approach to Cameron Rd and 15th Ave. <\/p>\n The council would also consider the impact of changes being made to the SH2 connection to Cameron Rd and 15th Ave for the NZ Transport Agency\u2019s Takitimu North Link project.<\/p>\n \u2018All in this together\u2019 <\/p>\n Welcome Bay ward councillor Hautapu Baker said he would be impacted by the roadworks as he travelled from his Poike home to the council building on Devonport Rd.<\/p>\n He usually drove via SH29A, Welcome Bay Rd and Hairini Bridge.<\/p>\n \u201cMost mornings I take my kids to kura and kohanga in Maungatapu so don\u2019t have the choice of an alternative route as the Hairini Bridge is the most convenient way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the council was working with the regional council to \u201cscale up\u201d public transport to help alleviate pressure on the transport network.<\/p>\n The council was looking at upgrading alternative routes, such as Fraser St, to manage the increased demand during this project.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all in this together, and patience and kindness will go a long way in helping us get through this disruptive period well.\u201d<\/p>\n Bay of Plenty Regional Council transport operations manager Simon Bell said the councils would work closely to understand, plan for and communicate any impacts on public transport services as project details were confirmed. <\/p>\n Impact on businesses<\/p>\n Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said the city\u2019s central roading network worked like a figure eight, with 15th Ave and the Hairini Bridge \u201cbeing one of the key links holding the city together\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen something goes wrong there, the effects aren\u2019t local \u2013 they\u2019re felt right across the network.\u201d<\/p>\n He said if traffic was restricted on Hairini Bridge, vehicles shifted to SH2\/Hewletts Rd or took the longer Oropi route instead.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people living in P\u0101p\u0101moa work in the central peninsula, so those alternative routes will quickly come under pressure, which are already busy at peak times.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cfragility\u201d of the network was exposed in 2018 when a pod of dolphins visible from Harini Bridge caused \u201ctraffic chaos<\/a>\u201d across the city.<\/p>\n Tauranga\u2019s roads were full already at peak times.<\/p>\n \u201cLong-term works on a major arterial bridge will only add further pressure to other routes and make travel times far less predictable,\u201d Cowley said.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the majority of our highways and arterial routes facing major works over the next few years, I\u2019m concerned that Tauranga\u2019s travel unpredictability is going to catch many people and businesses out.\u201d<\/p>\n To combat this, he said more trades and delivery businesses charged an hourly rate for travel, rather than a per-kilometre fee.<\/p>\n \u201cUnpredictability also affects staff getting to work, and whether customers are too frustrated by traffic and avoid going to the central peninsula to shop.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowley said most businesses could cope with short-term disruption, but ongoing, city-wide uncertainty was much harder to manage and would need to be factored into business continuity planning.<\/p>\n What the project involves<\/p>\n The project involved widening 15th Ave to four lanes between Cameron Rd and Burrows St, with one general traffic lane in each direction and a lane for vehicles carrying two or more passengers, including buses.<\/p>\n Creating three lanes on the Hairini Bridge and causeway would create a tidal flow system, with two city inbound lanes during the morning peak changing to two outbound in the afternoon. <\/p>\n A clip-on, shared-use path was also planned for the bridge.<\/p>\n A raised centre median was proposed between Cameron Rd and Fraser St, plus new signalised crossings at 15th Ave and Devonport Rd and other intersection changes.<\/p>\n New shared-use paths for walking and cycling were proposed on 15th Ave between Fraser St and Hairini Bridge (south side), and between Fraser St and Grace Rd (north side). <\/p>\n A number of other new traffic signals, resilience works and water infrastructure upgrades were also proposed. <\/p>\n The protected p\u014dhutukawa trees on Turret Rd would not be impacted, and habitat options for the protected white-fronted terns<\/a> that nest near the bridge are being investigated.<\/p>\n The next steps<\/p>\n An ongoing seismic and structural assessment of the Hairini Bridge would continue until mid-2026.<\/p>\n Public consultation on the full project design was set for later this year, and construction is now expected to run from mid-2027 to 2029 \u2013 a slight delay from previous estimates.<\/p>\n Barton said the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay project team had been engaging with residents and businesses on the affected roads since the business case started in early 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cWe plan to continue to work closely with residents and businesses as designs and construction plans continue to develop over the next 12-18 months to understand their needs and how we can best help them to manage any disruption during construction.\u201d<\/p>\n The NZTA has co-funded the current stage of work. <\/p>\n Hairini slip lane trial extended<\/p>\n The trial reopening of the Hairini Slip Lane has been extended until the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay roadworks start.<\/p>\n The council\u2019s City Delivery Committee agreed to the extension this month after requests from residents and local hap\u016b Ng\u0101i Te Ahi.<\/p>\n The volume of slip lane traffic had increased by about 300 vehicles per day, about 200 of those from the Hairini community.<\/p>\nTauranga City Council major projects infrastructure portfolio manager Chris Barton. Photo \/ Ayla Yeoman<\/p>\n
Proposed 15th Ave, Turret Rd and Hairini Bridge and causeway changes as part of the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay project. Graphic \/ Tauranga City Council<\/p>\n
Tauranga City Council Welcome Bay ward councillor Hautapu Baker. Photo \/ Alisha Evans<\/p>\n
Crowds lined the Hairini Bridge in 2018 after a pod of bottlenose dolphins was spotted in the Waimapu estuary, causing traffic congestion and delays on 15th Ave and Turret Rd. Photo \/ Josh Malmo<\/p>\n
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley. Photo \/ Mead Norton<\/p>\n
Turret Rd and the Hairini Bridge will face disruptions during the Tauranga City Council’s Welcome Bay to 15th Ave upgrade project. Photo \/ Kelly O’Hara<\/p>\n