Concern for Tauranga SH2 commuters as Takitimu North Link completion delayed

The mayor of communities along a congestion-plagued stretch of State Highway 2 north of Tauranga has “great concern” for people’s wellbeing as an alternative route is delayed.

The $655 million Takitimu North Link (TNL) Stage One route is now not due to open until 2027 at the earliest, according to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

It comes as the Government faces a potential $24 billion fiscal hole relating to transport projects due to increased costs.

The under-construction TNL Stage One is the Bay of Plenty’s most expensive transport project. It is a 6.8-kilometre, four-lane expressway from Tauranga to Te Puna that would eventually extend to Ōmokoroa in Stage 2.

It was expected to ease traffic on SH2 north of Tauranga, where motorists have complained of “horrific” congestion leading to missed flights and appointments. NZTA this week advised SH2 commuters work from home due to significant roadworks.

Western Bay of Plenty mayor James Denyer said that while the TNL was the solution to the ongoing traffic woes, he had “great concern” for people’s wellbeing while waiting for it to open.

“It’s not just the time it takes to [travel]. It’s the uncertainty or variables. If you do it one day and it takes one hour and the next day it takes two hours, it’s hard to build that flexibility into your day. You can get up an hour early [to avoid congestion] but eventually, the lack of sleep etc gets to you.”

Denyer lives near Katikati and is among those directly affected, especially when attempting to reach meetings on time.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer says the Takitimu North Link will help to solve SH2's traffic woes. Photo / Alex Cairns

Funding for the TNL Stage Two was controversially pulled in June 2021. Last week, it was ranked the second-highest priority transport project in Tauranga and the Western Bay - next to SH29/SH29A works - in the draft Regional Land Transport Plan, which would go out for consultation.

Denyer said he was assured the transport agency was working as fast as possible.

When will the Takitimu North Link open?

TNL Stage One construction began in late 2021 and had been expected to finish in 2026.

In response to an Official Information Act request, NZTA national manager of infrastructure delivery Mark Kinvig said the estimated completion date was now 2027. However, the agency anticipated a revised date, and budget, in mid-2024.

Kinvig said Covid-19 delayed property acquisition and archeology investigations, as did “record-breaking” rainfall.

Last January, the Western Bay had more than 400 per cent its normal rainfall, according to Niwa records.

Higher property costs, delays to land access and other cost changes such as stormwater and drainage project design were also factors. Increases in material and labour costs were also factors and “continue to be volatile”, Kinvig said.

“[The] completion date remains under review pending assessment of impacts,” Kinvig said.

A transport agency document sighted by the NZ Herald estimated 17 national projects, including the TNL Stage Two, could cost $30.9b to $46.6b, but the previous Government budgeted $22.2b.

It’s estimated the second stage of the TNL could cost $900m to $1.4b, up from $627m.

‘Another three years of this to endure’

Whakamarama resident Neil Rogers said the TNL was desperately needed and he was “gutted it’s already taken this long”.

“We’ve got another three years of this to endure.”

Rogers said he believed the region got “a pretty raw deal” on new highways.

He was concerned at a lack of clarity on whether the TNL would be tolled, which in his view would be a “total travesty” given Tauranga already had two of New Zealand’s three toll roads, he said.

Roadworks on State Highway Two (SH2) earlier this month caused significant congestion problems going in and out of Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns

Rogers said SH2 had always been busy and it seemed “mind-numbing” works to cater to the demand had “been left for so long and there’s no alternative route”.

“It’s not like the congestion is being caused by major or weird events. The big hold-up last week was about half a kilometre of tar sealing. That’s what’s caused gridlock up and down the corridor all day.”

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said he would meet with the transport agency and the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown next week for an update.

“I understand and share the frustrations of local residents about the delays to the timeline of Stage One. Considering the rapid growth in the area, it is essential that this project is advanced as quickly as possible,” Rutherford said.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford will meet with transport authorities over the Takitimu North Link project, which has been delayed a year. Photo / Alex Cairns

NZTA manager of maintenance and operations for the region, Roger Brady, said it understood how frustrating the congestion was.

This was a particularly busy time with more “activity on roads during the warmer, drier months of the year when we complete the bulk of our critical work - as well as our longer-term projects,” Brady said.

Due to rapid population growth, there were 24,500 vehicles per day crossing SH2′s Wairoa River Bridge, he said.

Congestion between Ōmokoroa, Te Puna and Bethlehem in particular contributed significantly to SH2 pressures but the TNL would help.

“We are also protecting the route for Stage Two of the project, and working with local government and other central government agencies to, as much as possible, ensure growth alongside SH2 is sensible and sustainable.”

Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.