The NZ Transport Agency's Tauranga Harbour Link project is the winner of the supreme award at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence (NZEE) Project and Product Awards.

The harbour bridge was recognised from 15 finalists beating out projects such as the Manukau Harbour Crossing and Te Rewa Rewa footbridge in New Plymouth.

Harbour Link project leaders receive the award in Wellington.

The Tauranga Harbour Link project also received the NZEE's Transportation Infrastructure Award.

The $130m project was one of the largest transport projects ever constructed in New Zealand at its time, and the largest for the Bay of Plenty.

This is to be surpassed by the construction of the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL), which commenced construction late last year.

The Harbour Link was acknowledged for helping to reshape an important transport corridor in Tauranga, and for providing an overall effective transport and freight route to the Port of Tauranga.

The New Zealand Engineering Excellence Supreme Award also recognises the technical engineering challenges that the project mitigated such as addressing soil conditions beneath the bridge's structure and for minimising the impact of the project to the environment and to stakeholders.

The Tauranga Harbour Link Project has also won other top awards including Roading New Zealand's Roading Excellence Award in 2010.