Plans for traffic lights to replace the roundabout at the intersection of Elizabeth St and Takitimu Drive has been put on hold as other options for the site are explored.
NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty highways manager Niclas Johansson said the Agency had been investigating ways to improve the overall efficiency of the corridor in peak times.
The initial option for this intersection was to replace the current roundabout with traffic lights.
"An audit was carried out as part of the design process. During that process it became apparent that while the installation of traffic lights would improve traffic flows at peak times, it may have compromised the performance of the intersection at other times. There were also concerns around some safety aspects of replacing the roundabout with lights," he said.
"The safety of everyone who uses the road is always front of mind in all of the work that we do, and based on the results of the audit we have decided to revisit the options for a short-term solution. We will keep the public fully informed and will seek feedback on any proposed changes to the intersection layout."