As people wind down for the year, cities empty out and the beaches fill up, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) encourages people to plan ahead for safe summer road trips.

With the high volumes of traffic expected over the holiday period in the Bay of Plenty, we’re asking people to drive to the conditions, be patient and allow plenty of time and keep a safe following distance from the vehicle in front so you can stop safely.

Although sites shut down over Christmas and New Year, traffic management remains in place so please stick to the temporary speed limits, watch out for lane changes and other directions as you drive through.

In the New Year, there are a number of maintenance projects happening that may impact journeys on SH2. Below are a couple to be aware of:

SH2 Tauranga between Loop Road and Ainsworth Road: On Saturday 18 January intermittent stop/go will be in place from 7am to 7pm so temporary barriers can be installed. Once the barriers are installed a 60km/h speed limit between the Te Puna roundabout to Ainsworth Road will be in place while construction is underway.

SH2 Snodgrass Road, Te Puna: We’re rebuilding the road near the Snodgrass Road and Te Puna Quarry Road intersection. The work will be completed at night between 8pm and 5.30am, starting from Sunday 12 January and taking approximately 6 weeks to complete. While this work is underway, there will be stop/go in place and a temporary speed limit of 30km/h during the day. Entry into Snodgrass Road and Te Puna Quarry Road will be closed at the state highway end. Alternative roads are available to the south via Munro Road and to the north via Armstrong Road or Borrell Road.

For information on maintenance activities on the corridor during summer, please see the Western Bay of Plenty section of our latest Traffic Bulletin.

Everyone deserves to get to their destinations safely and have a happy holiday. For a smooth journey, and before you set off, we encourage road users to use Journey Planner to check for road conditions.