As Tauranga City Council's investment in improving safety and performance for all road users continues, the Maunganui Road safety upgrade project is set to enter its next phase.

To allow work at two separate sections of Maunganui Road, a lane closure and detours will be in place from Monday, October 3.

Council says this is to enable the installation of streetlights and trees in front of Mount Maunganui College, and further down the road, the start of construction of roundabouts at Sutherland Avenue, Matai Street and Hinau Street and an upgrade of the road surface.

Traffic management on sections of Maunganui Road will be in place during works.

Director of Transport for Tauranga City Council, Brendan Bisley, is pleased the work is progressing and emphasises its importance.

'Speed on this road has been a concern for years, as is the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. This work is aimed at creating a calmer, more predictable environment, significantly improving safety for everyone who travels through the area," says Brendan.

Brendan says the objective of the project is to create a new road layout that includes measures such as physical separation of lanes and roundabouts, as well as improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, additional greenery, and upgrades to storm water drainage.

People can expect to see safe crossing points, new median islands, physically separating lanes, new roundabouts at Tui Street, Hinau Street, Matai Street and Sutherland Avenue, a shared path, dedicated bike lanes on both sides of the road, and grass, planting and trees

'This work is part of our city wide road infrastructure investment programme and aligns with the need to provide our growing community with a safe, reliable and easy choice between various ways to get around the city, offering people alternatives to travelling by car,' says Brendan.

Council admits this type of work can be frustrating for road users, and thanks the community for their patience. Several stages of work will take place over the school holidays when there is generally less people on the road, and no school traffic.

Here's what people need to know these school holidays:

Tui Street to Golf Road

With the new shared path and kerbs and drainage upgrades complete, work continues with the construction of a third traffic island.

Once all three islands are complete, trees and streetlights will be installed in the traffic islands, starting Monday October 3. Large machinery will be on site, and the eastbound lane on Maunganui Road will need to be closed for up to two weeks with a signposted detour for heavy vehicles via Hull Road and Newton Street.

During this time, southbound traffic heading towards Bayfair will be diverted via Hull Road, Newton Street and Hewletts Road. Residential traffic could take an alternative route via Tweed Street or Dee Street, then Ranch and Golf Road to flow back on to Maunganui Road.

Work is expected to take two weeks.

Sutherland Avenue to Hinau Street:

In the section between Hinau Street and Sutherland Avenue a significant amount of improvement work has already been completed. Kerbs have been upgraded, new drainage infrastructure installed, footpaths have been upgraded and a new shared path has been built along the western, library side of the road.

The next phase of work will see the upgrade of the road surface and the construction of new traffic islands and roundabouts at Sutherland Avenue, Matai Street and Hinau Street. This is scheduled to start Monday, 3 October and estimated to take six weeks to complete.

Traffic management will be in place for the duration of construction and an alternative route signposted for heavy vehicles via Totara Street. Residential traffic will also be able to use Marine Parade or Oceanbeach Road to avoid works altogether.

Director of Transport, Brendan Bisley acknowledges that these roadworks can cause a level of inconvenience for people and businesses in the area as well as people travelling on the wider roading network.

'We have a considerable programme of work to catch up on because of historic underinvestment in transport improvements and ask for people's patience with this essential work,” says Brendan.

'We are confident of the value of this work to the community, however construction in a busy, well-loved area will have impacts on travel and parking in the coming weeks.

'Road works are putting additional pressure on businesses in the area,” says Brendan. 'We encourage people to keep visiting their local shops even if it takes a little longer than usual, as it makes all the difference to them and their staff.”

Council says contractors Fulton Hogan will make every effort to limit disruption for the community while ensuring the safety of road users and their crew.

These works are dependent on the weather as well as what is found underground, which means the timing of work may change.

To find out more about the safety improvements planned for Maunganui Road visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/maunganui