Te Okuroa Drive now extends to Stevenson Drive roundabout

The first section of construction on Stage E of Te Okuroa Drive has been completed. Photo / File

The first section of construction on Stage E of Pāpāmoa's Te Okuroa Drive, extending the road to the Stevenson Drive roundabout, has been completed.

Tauranga City Council said the extension of Te Okuroa Drive to the current position offered a safe and easy connection from the Wairakei growth area to the Parton Rd/Tara Rd roundabout and provided an alternative link to Papamoa Beach Rd, which was currently under a lot of pressure.

The connection of Stevenson Drive into Te Okuroa Drive is being designed and prepared for engineering approval.

The developer, Bluehaven, will complete this part of the road by the end of the 2019 seeing they are responsible for the delivery as part of their subdivision and development.

When land is developed for new housing there are typically several parties responsible for funding and supplying infrastructure. Tauranga City Council generally provided the major infrastructure services up to the boundary of the new subdivision or development.

In the case of Te Okuroa Drive, this infrastructure encompasses the road, trunk mains for water and wastewater and is funded through development contributions.

Developers, such as Bluehaven, provide the local services within new subdivisions and connections to the major infrastructure.

Future stages of work will cover Te Okuroa Drive beyond Stevenson Drive with an interchange to be built that will connect to the state highway. These stages are in the design phase with construction of the section from Stevenson Drive to The Sands Avenue, which is a future road that will be delivered by a developer, likely to commence in 2021.