State Highway 2 Pāpāmoa slip lane closure from June 5 for one week

Traffic build-ups are expected next week as Pāpāmoa slip lane is closed. Photo / File

The State Highway 2 Pāpāmoa slip lane near the Te Maunga roundabout will be closed from 5am on June 5 to 12 at 5am.

NZ Transport Agency said the closure was necessary to determine what impact closing the slip lane in future would have on road users.

It is currently where the embankment for the new State Highway 2/29A east-bound flyover will be built.

Project manager John McCarthy said while he understood the inconvenience for motorists, the only way to determine the impact of the lane closure was to close the lane for a week and monitor any traffic delays.

"We have completed computer modelling but often real traffic scenarios do not always follow the model so we want to test the configuration before implementing the long term closure required for construction.

"The information gathered will help us determine if it is feasible to close the slip lane or whether an alternative arrangement at the roundabout will need to be investigated."

Road users can expect delays at the Te Maunga roundabout, particularly during the evening peak, with slip lane traffic also using the Te Maunga roundabout to continue on State Highway 2 towards Pāpāmoa.

The work is weather-dependent.

"With more than 35,000 vehicles per day through the Bay Link project site, we do our utmost to balance the need to get access for construction and the health and safety of road users and our construction teams with keeping traffic moving and the roads open.

"In this instance, we need to close the slip lane to enable this monitoring to take place."