NZ Transport Agency contractors will begin preliminary work on the roundabout on State Highway 2 in Te Puna tomorrow.

In March, the Agency awarded Downer a $5.25 million contract to build a roundabout. Contractors are setting up the site this week and have started preliminary work which includes surveying and locating services such as power, water, stormwater and sewerage.

Work on the roundabout on SH2, Te Puna begins today. Photo: File.

Transport Agency's Bay of Plenty highways manager Niclas Johansson expects this week's work to have little effect on motorists.

'While there will be speed reductions in place at times over the coming weeks, this work is not expected to significantly impact traffic on SH2.

'The main part of the work, including construction of the roundabout, will get underway in September 2016.”

The two-lane roundabout will replace the Te Puna/Minden Road intersection just north of Tauranga, significantly improving safety for motorists travelling on the route.

The work will be split over two construction seasons and the roundabout is expected to be complete in mid-2017.

Niclas says the new roundabout will make it safer and easier to travel as traffic increases on SH2.

'Roundabouts naturally slow traffic and reduce the chance of head on or side impact crashes, reducing the risk of death or serious injury if someone makes a mistake and crashes,” Niclas says.

'Our data shows that changing a T-intersection to a roundabout reduces death and serious injury crashes by 90 per cent, while the total number of crashes reduces between 25 to 80 percent.”

Cost of the project including preliminary works and property purchase totals $7.5 million.

The roundabout is part of a $520 million roading package transforming SH2 between Tauranga and Waihi.

The package includes:

• The $286 million Tauranga Northern Link (TNL).
• $85 million worth of safety improvements designed to reduce death and serious injury crashes.
• Up to $150 million to provide for future traffic growth, paving the way for an upgrade between Omokoroa and Te Puna.