Te Okuroa Drive extension in Pāpāmoa East may open next week

Pāpāmoa East residents eagerly await the opening of the next stage of Te Okuroa Dr. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga City Council hopes to open the next stage of Te Okuroa Drive next week in spite of a last-minute bitumen delivery issue.

Last month Tauranga City Council said the $9.2 million fourth stage extension of the Pāpāmoa East road to Livingstone Drive would open in early March.

Asked today for an update a council spokeswoman said a breakdown at a bitumen plant had added a small delay.

The council was aiming to be able to open the road next week.

She said the council hoped to announce an opening date on Friday.

A Tauranga City Council map showing the planned development stages for Te Okuroa Drive.

Work on the extension started in January last year and was originally scheduled to be finished by September but the project was plagued by construction delays, including the discovery of asbestos near a roundabout and unexpected difficulties with the installation of underground utilities.

The road would provide an alternative to Pāpāmoa Beach Rd for residents of the growing suburbs of Golden Sands and Palm Springs, and was expected to reduce congestion on Pāpāmoa Beach Rd.