Tauranga council hands over Welcome Bay slip lane saga to independent engineers

The saga of Welcome Bay Lane is now being handled by independent engineers. Photo / Fie

Tauranga roading authorities have handed over the Welcome Bay slip lane saga to independent engineers for a solution.

Tauranga City Council communications manager Aimee Driscoll confirmedthe council and the NZ Transport Agency were "looking into different options for the Welcome Bay slip lane".

In an email response to questions, Driscoll said the review was being completed by independent engineers.

"We are still awaiting the outcome of those reviews."

More detail, such as how much the independent engineers' review would cost, was expected within the next couple of working days, she said.

It is understood the engineers were commissioned for the job last week, when four individuals were spotted analysing both the Welcome Bay slip lane and Hairini Bus Lane areas.

The review comes after Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless and council chief executive Marty Grenfell visited the site where Welcome Bay Rd meets with Welcome Bay Lane.

Welcome Bay Lane was closed unexpectedly on September 28 after concerns were raised over how the road intersected with the cycleway.

The cordon was expected to be in place for three months, but nearly six months on it remains closed. An independent report into the transport agency-led Maungatapu Underpass project - prompted after the Bay of Plenty Times' coverage - found 25 safety issues, including the Welcome Bay Rd cycleway, which cuts across the entrance to Welcome Bay Lane.

Welcome Bay ward councillor Bill Grainger said the delay in reopening the slip lane was not good enough.

"It should not be that long. Our staff and NZTA should have had this sorted by now. There are no excuses. That's why it's been taken out of Tauranga City Council's hands," he said.

Grainger said residents were frustrated at not being able to use Welcome Bay Lane, which acted as an easy slip road for traffic travelling 60km/h towards Hairini, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Ohauiti. That traffic is now funnelled into a controlled intersection at Hammond St, where it waits to turn left.

"We want something done asap, even temporarily, to get traffic moving."