The opening of Tauranga's new Harbour Bridge has eased congestion on the Hairini-Turret Rd route into town.
Motorists are noticing that more Te Puke and Papamoa commuters are choosing the bridge to get to and from work.
It all adds up to an extra helping of good news for Welcome Bay commuters
after traffic flows through Hairini improved significantly with the installation of signals around the Welcome Bay and Maungatapu roundabouts.
Welcome Bay resident Graeme Decke, who drives to work during the rush hour, said the new Harbour Bridge had taken away a lot of traffic.
It was particularly noticeable where the lanes merged before the Turret Rd bridge.
The queue coming from the direction of Te Maunga was now much shorter and traffic kept moving at a crawl.
"Traffic does not build-up from the Mount like it used to ... it does not go back up to the roundabout any more."
He added: "Papamoa people find they can get to work quicker by taking the new bridge."
Read the full story in the Bay of Plenty Times
