Local company wins $1m project

A million dollar support project for the Tauranga Eastern Link has been awarded to local company HEB Construction Limited.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) last week awarded HEB Construction the contract to enlarge the Maranui storm water treatment pond.

The project is to increase the size of the Maranui storm water treatment pond, which will allow for additional runoff generated from the Papamoa catchment and the Tauranga Eastern Link project.

NZTA's Bay of Plenty State Highways manager, Brett Gliddon, said work was expected to begin this month and be completed by May 2013.

The Maranui storm water treatment pond enlargement is one of seven Tauranga Eastern Link enabling works projects.

Five of the enabling works have already been completed and the last of the seven is currently out to tender.

The completed projects include:

* building the Kaituna Road extension

* extending Truman Lane

* relocating a bulk watermain

* storm water upgrades around Mangatawa, and

* expanding an existing pump station

The Tauranga Eastern Link will celebrate a special milestone in November - recognising the project's two-year anniversary since the contract was awarded to build the $455 million Tauranga Eastern Link.

The road is expected to open in 2016 and the four-lane Tauranga Eastern Link will run from Te Maunga 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.