The chairman of the council's transport committee said traffic stacked up around the 15th Ave/Fraser St intersection with every light change because of the short merge distance from two lanes to one lane going down 15th Ave.
Interviewed after the meeting, Mr Curach said council staff had done some modelling and concluded that widening as far as Burrows St would benefit commuters heading home.
Mr Curach said adding an extra outbound lane had been originally suggested by Welcome Bay resident Hori BOP.
The congestion encouraged some commuters to perform a rat run to avoid the intersection with Fraser St, emerging near where 15th Ave changed to Turret Rd. It could see traffic signals installed at the intersection with Burrows St.
Mr Parkes said the widening would be beneficial, but more work was needed to realise the full benefits of investments along the 15th Ave/Turret Rd corridor.
"We have got to be careful about how we manage the network."
He referred to a potential short-term measure that would be discussed outside of the meeting. The study would also look at the morning peak along the corridor.
Welcome Bay councillor Bill Grainger said the study had a $100,000 budget, with the first results due to come back to the council at a workshop.
"It will bring us up to speed on where we are at."
He said traffic stacking during the evening peak extended back along 15th Ave to Cameron Rd and then around the corner past Tauranga Boys' College.
Mr Grainger's big picture solutions to relieve traffic congestion at that end of town included the planned off-ramp from 15th Ave down to Route K, ultimately linking into the $520 million Northern Link project, and an on-ramp up to 15th Ave up from Takitimu Drive.
He also saw network benefits from building a link from Greerton's Chadwick Rd West down to Route K.
Mr Grainger was an advocate of getting all schoolchildren back into free buses, with either the Government or the regional council picking up the tab.
"To me, it is common sense."
During school holidays the drive to town in the morning peak took about 15 minutes less, he said.