The number of car parks for patients and visitors at Tauranga Hospital will be reduced for the next six weeks.

As an alternative, people are being urged to use the Clarke Street car park as earthworks get underway across Cameron Road.

People are being urged to use the Clarke Road parking for the next six weeks. Photo: File.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board's CEO Phil Cammish says from Monday, October 12, a Lamson tube system is being laid in the ground from Tauranga Hospital to the new PathLab Building on the 17th Avenue side of the hospital campus.

The channel containing the Lamson system will run parallel to Cameron Road across the hospital campus, and will require the BOPDHB to reduce the number of car parks available in the Cameron Road carpark.

As a result, from Monday, October 12, to Wednesday, October 14, from 8.15pm to 6am, the front entrance from Cameron Road into Tauranga Hospital will be reduced to one lane, for entry only, exiting to Clarke Street.

During daylight hours the entrance will be back to the usual two lanes.

The digging, laying and filling work will then journey across the campus, parallel to Cameron Road towards 17th Avenue and will be completed by mid-November.

'The earthworks will be done in phases, as it's important we can keep disruption to a minimum for everyone,” says Phil.

In addition to the earthworks, the Clarke Street car park lift will be out of action from 6am on Monday, October 12, resuming operation from Friday morning.

A continuous shuttle service will be available from Clarke Street car park to Tauranga Hospital from 7am to 5pm to cover each day the lift is out of action.

'We encourage visitors and people coming to appointments at the hospital to go to the Clarke Street carpark first,” says Phil.

'You can get to the Clarke Street car park from either 17th or 20th Avenues.”