People travelling along SH2 between Waihī and Tauranga are experiencing delays due to an increase in vehicles travelling this route, summer road works and project activity in the area.

Students are starting back at school and many people are returning to work as their summer break comes to an end.  In addition to this, holiday makers are taking advantage of public holidays to travel to or from the region.

All this means that there have been delays of up to an hour this week, and this is expected to continue for a number of weeks, especially as the maintenance crews will be on the road to take advantage of settled weather.

This year’s road renewals/resealing programme is significant, with an increased number of worksites over the next month including 20 chipseal sites between Bethlehem and Athenree.

There was an expectation that much of this work would be carried out in the school holidays, but the rain has meant works have moved into February.

The work is weather-dependent and, where possible, done at night to minimise disruption.

It's important to drive to the posted temporary speed limit during the day while new seals bed in.

Please follow the speed restrictions and other traffic management plans in place as these keep road users and our workers safe.

It also ensures we can get work done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

These reseals are being carried out alongside ongoing safety improvements and the Takitimu North Link project.

We appreciate any delay to travel is causing frustration and thank people for their patience.

Works planned for week beginning 5 February:

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS WORKS PROGRAMME

• SH2 Bethlehem to Athenree: Resealing is underway at a number of locations on SH2 between Bethlehem and Waihī. Night works started at Wairoa Bridge and then continue through to Katikati, delays are expected. Night works will then start on the Athenree rest area and work back towards Woodland Road. Reseals between Te Puna and Ōmokoroa will result in some line-marking changes with wide centrelines installed, and passing lanes removed near Barrett/Plummers Point roads and Ainsworth Road.  

WAIHĪ TO ŌMOKOROA SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAMME

• Kauri Point Road to Stokes Road – Service relocation. Contra flow and shoulder closures in place with speed restrictions.
• Sharp Road Intersection - Roundabout construction underway with significant activities on the southbound lanes. Contra flow in place with speed restrictions. There will be intermittent stop/go traffic management in place which may cause longer delays, but typically expect minor delays of one to 2 minutes.
• Apata Curves – Road widening works underway. Contra flow in place with speed restrictions. There will be intermittent stop/go traffic management in place which may cause longer delays, but typically expect minor delays of one to 2 minutes. 

Works planned week beginning 11 February (Sunday night):

• Rea/Tetley Roundabout, Lockington/Matahui Roundabout & Morton Road Roundabouts – Nightwork with daytime traffic management. Resurfacing commencing 11 February. There will be stop/go traffic management in place overnight which may cause longer delays. Speed restrictions will be in place during the day. Please follow the temporary signs and directions of the traffic management team.
• Sharp Road Intersection - Roundabout construction underway with significant activities significant activities on the southbound lanes. Contra flow in place with speed restrictions. There will be stop/go in place with speed restrictions overnight. During the day there will be intermittent stop/go traffic management in place which may cause longer delays, but typically expect minor delays of one to two minutes.

TAKITIMU NORTH LINK PROJECT

• Takitimu North Link Stage One: Earthworks are underway across a number of sites. On Wairoa Road, stop/go traffic management will be in place while trucks are crossing Wairoa Road, and 30km/h speed limits will be in place at all times within the construction area. Work in this area will become more evident as the Wairoa Road bridge is completed in preparation for its opening. Minden Road has a 30km/h speed limit throughout the construction zone. A temporary haul road into the Te Mete Valley is operational to support the summer earthworks season. The single-lane haul road is separated from SH2. Road users should be aware of the new road layout and temporary speed limit of 60km/h on SH2 alongside the haul road. More information. 
•  Cambridge/Moffat Roads: Construction work to complete the new Cambridge Road Overbridge, between Bethlehem and Tauriko continues. Until April 2024, major works require a full closure of a section of Moffat Road between Tauranga Adventist School and Cambridge Road (East). This is disruptive, there are local alternative routes for light vehicles, and heavy trucks can use SH29/Takitimu Drive Toll Road. More information. 
• SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road: A reduced speed limit of 80km/h is in place while Takitimu North Link crews are working behind the barriers.  
• Western tie-in (near Loop Road): Construction continues at the western tie-in of the Takitimu North Link project where utilities need to be moved. SH2 will be reduced to 50km/h in the area during this work, and the passing lane heading west will be removed to allow the crews to work on the side of the road.   There is a stop/stop on SH2 outside of Loop Road for vegetation clearance.  This will be effective from 7.00am – 7.00pm both Saturdays and Sundays for the weekends of 10-11 February and 17-18 February with a back-up weekend of 24-25 February 2024.

Plan ahead and check Journey Planner before you travel: https://journeys.nzta.govt.nz

There's more information about specific worksites on our website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/waikato-and-bay-of-plenty-state.../

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

· Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: facebook.com/TransportAgency
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahi_news
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)