Funding is available to redesign State Highway 29 near the Soldiers Road intersection.

The NZ Transport Agency has $300,000 funding for detailed design of an upgrade that includes straightening the highway and building a new three lane bridge.

The ‘dangerous' intersection.

The NZ Transport Agency has $300,000 funding for detailed design of an upgrade that includes straightening the highway and building a new three lane bridge.

The section of highway included in the project has a high crash rate, poor sight distance, particularly at the intersections with Soldiers and Ngamuwahine Roads, and a narrow bridge.

The recommended solution involves straightening 1.35km of the highway, building a three lane bridge over the Mangakarangorengo River to replace the existing Te Ahara Bridge and widening the road.

'This design phase will be completed by September,” says NZTA regional director Harry Wilson.

'We will then apply for construction funding, and construction could be underway before the end of this year.”

Te Ahara Bridge needs to be replaced with a wider bridge.

The design phase includes securing the designation in the district plan, conducting geotechnical testing, noise assessments and a safety audit to inform the design, gaining any consents required for construction, and preparing construction tender documents.

The highway over the Kaimai range is a key freight route between the Waikato and the Port of Tauranga and an important connector route for commuters and tourists. It carries 9500 vehicles per day, of which about 1200 are heavy commercial vehicles.