Regional Update - Tauranga Roading Network

Omokoroa/State Highway 2 Intersection – the intersection needs to be upgraded to meet the demands of the peninsula’s growth.  A full interchange is planned for the future, however a new interim roundabout is expected to be in use for at least 10 years.

Takitimu North Link (TNL) Tauranga to Omokoroa – Stage One is underway, a four lane expressway between Takitimu Drive (near Fifteenth Avenue) and Te Puna, including a new bridge over Wairoa River and a full interchange at Minden.  Stage One will provide an alternative route between Tauranga City and Te Puna and is expected to be completed in 2028, while Stage Two will continue from Te Puna to Omokoroa, expected to begin construction in 2027.

Papamoa East Wairakei Interchange - The new interchange over the Tauranga Eastern Link is now open. The bridge helps improve travel for the Pāpāmoa East community and enables further development of the wider area.

It connects neighbourhoods in Pāpāmoa to the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road / State Highway 2 and is designed to enable faster, more direct travel for the Pāpāmoa community, ease congestion on local feeder roads and future-proof the roading network for planned development in the area. 

Prior to opening, the interchange was renamed the ‘Wairākei Interchange’ in reference to the urban growth area of the same name located here, and referencing the historic significance of the area’s wetlands and the Wairākei stream that runs the length of Pāpāmoa. 

NZTA is installing tolling infrastructure on the SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road off and on ramps at the Wairākei Interchange between late August and September 2026, with a proposed toll-free period of 12 months.

Tauriko Enabling Works – will improve safety at intersections of SH29 with Redwood Lane, Belk Road and Cambridge Road, enable housing development within Tauriko West, support further development of Tauriko Business Estate, protect freight routes and improve access to public transport.  The intersection of State Highway 29 (SH29) and Redwood Lane now features a 47-metre diameter roundabout, a direct connection to the Tauriko Business Estate, and a shared walking and cycling underpass beneath SH29. 

Katikati Bypass – will reduce congestion and heavy vehicle traffic through the main street.  This proposal no longer meets the threshold for NZTA funding and has been put on hold.