Bay of Plenty hotspots will include SH2 between Paeroa and Waihī eastbound this afternoon and tomorrow from 11.30am until 4pm as well as westbound Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
SH2 between Tauranga and Katikati has busy patches Thursday, Saturday and Monday mornings, while southbound on Thursday afternoon is likely to be busy.
SH29 eastbound over the Kaimai range west of Tauranga may be heavy Friday from late morning until 3.30pm.
Monday may be busy from mid-morning until mid-afternoon westbound.
Traffic delays are also expected heading to Coromandel with SH25A Kopu-Hikuai still closed and affecting travel to Pāuanui, Tairua or Whitianga.
Yesterday, Bay of Plenty district acting road policing manager Inspector Stuart Nightingale said extra resources would be deployed to state highways, including dedicated policing teams and mobile safety camera operators this weekend.
He said Easter was usually “high risk” in the region with significant travel flows.
“We will be focused on the main behaviours which contribute to death and injury on our roads: driving too fast for the conditions; driving while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or fatigue; driving while distracted – including using a cell phone; and not being properly restrained.
“Following too close, poor over-taking and impeding the flow of traffic contribute towards crashes too, so keep your distance and stay focused and let’s ensure an incident-free weekend in the Bay of Plenty.
“Police are keen to see an Easter weekend without any serious crashes on our roads. Safer roads are everybody’s responsibility, and we’re urging motorists to make good choices, because we will be out in numbers.”