Hammond Street in Welcome Bay will be closed tomorrow as part of preliminary work for the construction of the Maungatapu underpass.

From Thursday morning (September 24), the Hammond Street access will be via a new temporary entrance from State Highway 29A, until the $45 million underpass project is complete in 2018.

Hammond Street access will change from tomorrow. Photo: File.

It means access will be from the top of the street instead of the bottom.

New Zealand Transport Agency says access from Hammond Street onto the highway will be left hand turn only, while drivers travelling from Hammond Street towards Te Maunga will need to turn left towards the roundabout lights and travel around the Maungatapu roundabout.

Speed restrictions and traffic management will be in place around the underpass work site and motorists are advised to drive with care.

In other preparatory work, the trees on the roundabout itself have been felled and chipped, ready for the excavation of the underpass.

Once finished, the underpass will deliver a two-lane link underneath the Maungatapu roundabout, which will connect the Turret Road causeway directly to Welcome Bay Road.

The project includes new cycle links and a cycle and pedestrian bridge above SH29A.

It has been designed to separate state highway and local traffic, reducing congestion at peak times and making travel safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

For more information about the project, visit: www.nzta.govt.nz/hairini-link