Tauranga Eastern Link – SH2 Te Maunga traffic changes postponed
Motorists are advised that the traffic changes due take place along State Highway 2 (SH2) at Te Maunga this weekend as
part of the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) project is postponed due to wet weather.
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says rain forecast for the next few days has hampered preparatory work for the traffic
switch to occur.
The Te Maunga traffic changes are required to allow construction to start on the TEL’s southbound lanes and to complete
the new residential access road, Te Maunga Lane.
It is expected that the traffic switch will now occur the following weekend and should be in place by Monday 12 August -
but will be dependent on weather conditions.
The NZTA thanks motorists for their patience and ongoing co-operation while construction on the Tauranga Eastern Link
project continues.
Keep up-to-date with developments at www.nzta.govt.nz/tel
ENDS
Editor’s notes
The four-lane Tauranga Eastern Link will run from Te Maunga (near Baypark Stadium) in Tauranga to the existing junction
of State Highways 2 and 33 (the Rotorua and Whakatane highways) near Paengaroa. It will be made up of 17km of new road
and an upgrade of six kilometres of existing highway. The new highway is expected to open to traffic in 2016.
The Government has identified seven essential state highway projects linked to New Zealand’s economic prosperity. Called
the roads of national significance, or RoNS for short, the NZTA is charged with delivering this programme of state
highway improvements within the next 10 years. The RoNS programme represents one of New Zealand’s biggest ever
infrastructure investments and is a key part of the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan and Government’s Policy
Statement for transport.
The seven RoNS projects are based around New Zealand's five largest population centres. The focus is on moving people
and freight between and within these centres more safely and efficiently. Other RoNS may be added in future but
currently from north to south the seven projects are: Puhoi to Wellsford - SH1, Completing the Western Ring Route,
Auckland - SH16, SH18 and SH20, Victoria Park Tunnel, Auckland - SH1, Waikato Expressway - SH1, Tauranga Eastern Link -
SH2, Wellington Northern Corridor - SH1, Christchurch Motorways. More information is available at www.nzta.govt.nz/rons
ends