State Highway 2 has around 21,000 vehicle movements a day, with the section between Te Maunga and Paengaroa having the country's second worst serious crash rate per kilometre of highway.
Traffic often moves slowly, and there is no room for growth, says Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker.

Andrew Coker.

'The situation is so bad that it is already constraining the kiwifruit sector and future development at Te Puke,” says Andrew.
The motorway is also a vital element in the planned development of a satellite city the size of Nelson between Parton Road and the Kaituna River, where up to 45,000 people will be living by 2050.
The motorway is one of the largest projects ever planned in New Zealand and will deliver immediate economic benefits to the region, as well as to New Zealand as a whole, says Andrew.
It has been identified by the government as a road of national significance and a key driver of productivity and growth.
'A 2004 study commissioned by the New Zealand Automobile Association estimated a return of $6.50 for every dollar invested in the construction of the region's strategic roading network, of which the Tauranga Eastern Link is an integral part.
'The Tauranga Eastern Link is critical to the economic growth of Tauranga and wider Bay of Plenty. We will see increased productivity by providing a faster route to the port, which will positively impact on our exporters and our transportation sector. It will also give access to the planned industrial land at Rangiuru and Te Puke, providing opportunities to attract business and investment to the Bay and provide employment.” The new road will also open up the connection to the Eastern Bay of Plenty, where there is strong growth projected in the aquaculture industry for export markets.
For construction to start next year the toll road proposal has to be strongly supported by the Bay of Plenty community.
For those that don't want to pay tolls, a feasible alternative route will be available.