Tauranga City Council is celebrating the start of the main construction phase of the new Pāpāmoa East Interchange, which will provide a long-awaited connection between Pāpāmoa East and State Highway 2.

To mark the occasion, a small ceremony took place this morning on the southern embankment on the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (TEL TR).

In attendance were Tauranga City Council Commission Chair Anne Tolley, representatives from project partners NZTA/Waka Kotahi, local iwi, contractor HEB Construction Ltd and senior council transportation and project staff.

Anne says she’s excited to see the project progressing, as it represents a milestone for Pāpāmoa communities.

“Building the interchange is about making it easier for people to move around Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty, as well as providing the additional roading capacity needed to support development in the area,” she says.

“It’s great to see construction moving into the final phase. Projects of this scale take time to build, so this will be welcome news to Pāpāmoa East locals. We look forward to being able to open the interchange in 2026.”

Two years into the four year build for the new interchange, construction to date has focussed on improving and preparing the ground for construction and implementing new waters infrastructure as well as building the new intersection for the future The Sands Avenue.

This final phase of work includes the construction and delivery of:

• the new interchange including abutments
• on- and off-ramps with State Highway 2/TEL TR
• construction of The Sands Avenue, between the Te Okuroa Drive intersection and the interchange
• lighting, traffic lights and cameras
• stormwater infrastructure
• landscaping, planting and cultural design elements.

Local firm HEB Construction Ltd won the public tender for the work and will take on construction of the interchange and the on- and off-ramps.

HEB senior project manager Duncan Alberts says his team is excited to be delivering the infrastructure that will improve connections between Pāpāmoa East and the rest of the region.

“It’s rewarding to be working on a piece of infrastructure that we know will make a difference in people’s daily lives. Many of our team live in Pāpāmoa and can’t wait for the interchange to be complete.

“We look forward to working with Tauranga City Council on delivering this project for the community.”

During construction, traffic on State Highway 2/TEL TR will be managed to keep drivers and construction crew safe.

The left-hand lanes alongside the work section will be closed for extended periods of time and the speed limit reduced to 70km/h.

Traffic management is anticipated to add less than a minute to an average journey.

The new interchange is scheduled to be operational in mid-2026.

Find out more at letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/pei