Eastern Link set to open six months early

The Parton Rd overbridge has been completed.

At least six months have been carved off the much anticipated opening of the Tauranga Eastern Arterial, a project more than 30 years in the planning.

Originally scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2016, the New Zealand Transport Agency has confirmed that it would now open this year, with speculation that it could be as early as the end of August.

The $450 million motorway, which will carve 12m off the trip between Paengaroa and Bayfair and unlock some major developments, has been welcomed by Western Bay's political and transport leaders.

Western Bay Mayor Ross Paterson said a succession of dry autumns had allowed earthworks to continue much longer than expected. He praised the organisation of the project by the New Zealand Transport Agency, saying at times there were 150 to 200 people engaged in construction.

He cautioned that the tolls needed to be user-friendly to attract maximum usage rather than motorists staying on the old road.

The agency's senior project manager Wayne Troughton said the exact opening date had yet to be confirmed however a combination of hard work and dry summers had allowed "significant" time savings.

He said the rebuild was well underway on the fire-damaged sections of the bridge at the Domain Rd interchange. Crews worked over the Christmas and New Year break to accelerate the bridge rebuild and minimise the impact on the opening.

The cost of the fire damage was around $3 million and had delayed the road's opening by about one month.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said the earlier opening was tremendous news, recalling how his brother helped survey the route back in the early 1980s. He said the link would bring significant benefits to the transport industry, commuters and travellers, and ultimately support urban development in Papamoa East by construction of a link down into the intersection between the Wairakei and Te Tumu developments.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council's regional transport committee chairwoman Jane Nees said the opening would be the culmination of the council's transport planning function.

She described it as a whole-of-region project, prioritised by the committee's previous transport strategy which led to the project being funded by the Government as a road of national significance.

Opening the Eastern Link would make the Rangiuru Business Estate a very attractive proposition because the road ran through the middle of the area. The estate was owned by the regional council's investment arm Keyside Holdings, she said.

New Zealand Road Transport Association regional representative Derek Dumbar said the new road would be a godsend for transport operators.

Mr Dumbar estimated about nine million tonnes of freight was carried along the route every year.