Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko.

 Transport Minister Simeon Brown turned the first sod on the project on Redwood Lane, alongside Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford and Tauranga City Council Commission chair Anne Tolley on Wednesday.

“The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections of SH29 with Redwood Lane, Belk Road, and Cambridge Road, support continued development of Tauriko Business Estate, protect freight routes, increase housing supply, and improve access to public transport,” says Brown.

Every day about 21,000 vehicles, including nearly 3000 heavy commercial vehicles, travel along SH29 between Redwood Lane and Cambridge Road, to and from other parts of Tauranga and the wider region.

Once completed, Brown says the SH29 upgrade works near Tauriko will unlock at least 2400 homes from 2026.

He says these upgrades are a key first step of enabling the wider Western Corridor growth opportunity, which is around 25,000 homes over the next 50 years.

The Tauriko Enabling Works are funded through a multi-party agreement between central government, Tauranga City Council, and private developers.

This includes funding from Tauranga City Council, NZTA, Kāinga Ora, and other developers of the Tauriko West Urban Growth Area.

“SH29 is a nationally significant route for freight between Auckland and Waikato-Bay of Plenty. With over a third of New Zealand Exports going through the Port of Tauranga, and vehicle numbers expected to more than double by 2048, upgrades to this corridor are crucial to support economic growth of the region.”

“Wider SH29 Tauriko corridor improvements have also been prioritised as a Road of National Significance (RoNS) in the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport released recently.

“The NZ Transport Agency will be responsible for delivering the SH29 Tauriko RoNS project through the National Land Transport Programme, with further planning, funding, and anticipated construction timelines for delivery to be confirmed later this year when the GPS and NLTP are finalised.”

Contracts for construction have been awarded to Downer Group, and work will begin away from the existing SH29 highway – building the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout. 

The SH29/Cambridge Road intersection and the new Tauriko Village access will follow later in 2024. 

All enabling works in this package are expected to be completed within three years.