The new Bayfair flyover is open on State Highway 2 at Mount Maunganui and while some travelling over it have given good reviews, the roundabout beneath is a different story.
Traffic resembling a “log jam” greeted motorists trying to access the Bayfair roundabout at the intersection of Girven, Matapihi and Maunganui this morning.
Reports from motorists spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times included a 30-minute commute from Sandhurst Dr to Cameron Rd doubling, and a 6km journey taking 45 minutes.
Waka Kotahi reported three “incidents” including illegal manoeuvres.
Opened overnight, the flyover is the final bridge in the ongoing $262 million Baypark to Bayfair project, also known as the B2B or Bay Link.
It took the Gloucester Rd resident 45 minutes to travel 6km along Maunganui Rd.
“I left at 7.15am and didn’t get there until 8am. 45 minutes to travel 6km? That’s Auckland traffic.”
Steiner left at the same time as her son, who. she was meeting. He travelled along Oceanbeach Rd instead and arrived 20 minutes earlier.
She said she would not normally go the Maunganui Rd way
but “the flyover was open today so I thought ‘it should be okay’.”
Steiner said the traffic along Girven Rd leading to the roundabout and to Maunganui Rd was largely at a standstill because the left-hand turn had been coned off and a new single lane was left.
Traffic coming off the flyover and crossing to Maunganui Rd, travelling north, “held things up as well”, she said.
“It took me 20 minutes to travel 50 to 100 metres.
“You just couldn’t get out.”
The Bayfair flyover has opened, to mixed reviews. Photo / Alex Cairns
Steiner was “hopeful” traffic would be better once the double lanes returned to the roundabout.
Matapihi resident Russ Hawkins travelled through the roundabout just after 8am.
Despite a steady flow of trucks and tankers on the flyover, the roundabout was ”a bit of a log jam”, he said.
“I got through there quite easily this morning but having said that, there was a bit of traffic on the old Maunganui Rd and they let me through. That was because of traffic held up at Hewletts Rd, I think.”
Hawkins believed people needed “to be real” about using the roundabout at the moment.
“It’s down to a single lane there and everything is slowed down purposely to get people used to it.
“To me, we have got to give people the chance to settle in. It’s just one of those things where we will have to see what happens.”
The Bayfair flyover is now open, to mixed reviews. Photo / Alex Cairns
Online commenters who travelled over the flyover reported it reduced their usual commute time significantly.
Taylor Bros Tranporting health and safety manager Jason Fawcett said it was too early to say what affect the flyover had so far, but it would “majorly improve” the freight link between Tauranga Eastern Link and the Port of Tauranga.
“It can have quite a financial impact, being stuck in traffic. Every time there’s a delay or pinch point ... any improvement [to that] will be a huge bonus.”
Waka Kotahi Bay of Plenty and Waikato acting regional manager of infrastructure delivery Jason Harrison said it could take weeks for people to get used to the new layout with a traffic switch of this scale, with existing lanes connecting to new infrastructure.
Road users were encouraged to plan their first journeys through the area before leaving home and allow extra time, as well as sharing the roads with care and patience, and following all directions – especially during peak times.
He said once the new traffic layout had bedded in, traffic flow was expected to improve.
Three incidents were reported today, which include illegal driving and turning movements.
Minister of Transport Michael Wood was asked whether the project, under construction for six years, had kept up with Tauranga’s population growth.
Wood said the Bay Link would “make a difference to overall traffic flow and reliability as we see population continue to grow in the region”.
Wood said Tauranga’s Transport System Plan strategy said that while it aimed to help alleviate strain on local arterial routes, “it also highlights that building more roads is only part of the solution”.
“Infrastructure alone cannot solve the region’s congestion problems. Behavioural change is equally important, and we need to consider how we can better encourage people to change their travel habits.”
Wood confirmed bus lanes were considered but not included “due to constraints on the physical environment” but said the Government was working to boost public transport use in the local area.
