Construction on an estimated $90 million roading project is expected to begin in August.

From August 1, contractors will be working on early work to construct a new interchange connecting Pāpāmoa East with the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road.

There will be a one lane closure heading eastbound towards Paengaroa for up to five days, to install a permanent guard rail on the seaward side of the TEL.

There will be a temporary maximum speed limit of 70km/h through the worksite.

Tauranga City Council project manager Wayne Troughton says the lane closure is expected to have minimal impact on travel times.

Once the steel barriers for the guard rail are in place, the construction of stormwater culverts, including one under the TEL will begin, in mid-August.

Travellers can expect lane closures and traffic diversions while the embankment works are undertaken. Completion of the embankment is expected April 2023.

For up-to-date information on road works, traffic, detours and delays, drivers are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website.

To find out more about the Tauranga City Council Pāpāmoa East Interchange project click here.

The Pāpāmoa East Interchange will be a standard diamond interchange with a four-lane bridge over the TEL and an exit north into Pāpāmoa East, to directly service the future Golden Sands Town Centre. The interchange will also provide a major escape route in event of a tsunami, says Wayne.

Tauranga's coastal fringe is expected to grow significantly over the next 40 years, reaching up to 30,000 people by 2060.

To unlock development in Pāpāmoa east, Tauranga City Council are building an interchange to the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road, creating a faster connection between these areas and Tauranga city centre, Mount Maunganui and Te Puke, says council in a statement released today.

Future stages of this project will see construction of an extension of Te Okuroa Drive, the interchange itself and the connection between Sands Avenue and Te Okuroa Drive.

The interchange is expected to be completed in 2026.

Total investment for the project is expected to be about $90 million.