Bay of Plenty road extension open for use

Pāpāmoa East residents eagerly await the opening of the next stage of Te Okuroa Dr. Photo / George Novak

The Te Okuroa Dr project will reach its next milestone tomorrow with Stage D of the construction completed between The Boulevard and Livingstone Dr in Pāpāmoa.

The new arterial road would offer a safe and easy connection between Livingstone Dr and the Parton Rd/Tara Rd roundabout, Tauranga City Council said in a statement today.

The completion of this key link sees a positive step forward for the management of traffic flows in the area and Te Okuroa Dr would provide an alternative link to Pāpāmoa Beach Rd which was currently under a lot of pressure, the statement said.

Pāpāmoa residents travelling to Mount Maunganui and the city centre will benefit from the opening of the extension especially residents living in the Golden Sands and Palm Springs areas. Ward councillors Leanne Brown and Steve Morris encouraged people to give it a go.

"In response to the growth in Pāpāmoa we brought this project forward by nearly five years which was a major call at the time particularly due to the budget involved.

"Nearly 8500 people living in this area have been travelling on a very busy road and now we have a fit for purpose alternative road for the future.

"Parts of Te Okuroa Dr are currently only two lanes, but they are future-proofed for four lanes should this be required.

"In a few years' time, the Pāpāmoa East Interchange will be a key entry and exit point to the state highway network. In the meantime, residents now have multiple options and pressure will be taken off Pāpāmoa Beach Rd," they said.

The works have been completed by HEB Construction.

Next phases of Te Okuroa Dr are:

-The section from Livingstone Dr to Stevenson Dr (Stage E) will be completed by the end of June 2019.
-Future stages of work will extend Te Okuroa Dr beyond Stevenson Dr towards Te Tumu, with an interchange to be built that will link to the state highway.
-These sections are in the design stage with construction of the section from Stevenson Drive to The Sands Ave (to be delivered by a developer) likely to commence in 2021.