A new signalised intersection is being planned outside the Tauranga Crossing shopping centre.
Work on a portion of Taurikura Drive, outside the centre and between State Highway 36 and Whiore Ave, will start from the week beginning May 26 and is expected to take up to 12 months to complete.
Upgrades include reconfiguring the roading layout by adding more lanes and replacing the roundabout used to enter Tauranga Crossing with a signalised intersection, a statement from Tauranga City Council says.
This will support increased volumes of traffic and improve access ahead of new housing coming to Tauriko West from 2027.
A second signalised intersection will be added closer to the SH36 roundabout, and the signalised pedestrian crossing outside Pak’nSave on Taurikura Drive will be moved closer to the Whiore Ave roundabout.
New shared-use paths will also provide safe walking and cycling options between Tauranga Crossing, Tauriko Business Estate and properties in The Lakes; and expanded bus facilities will improve access to public transport for people working, living and shopping in the area.
The upgrade also integrates with future improvements along Whiore Ave as part of the SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works, which will provide a direct connection to SH29/Cambridge Rd and the future community at Tauriko West for buses, walking and cycling.
Tauriko Ward Councillor Marten Rozeboom said the project addresses the transport needs of the area before it grows further.
“We know activity in the area will grow with new housing at Tauriko West, the continued development of the Tauriko Business Estate and the expansion of Tauranga Crossing.
“Traffic volumes are already increasing in and around Tauriko, so we need to get this upgrade underway now.”
Following a thorough tender process, Fulton Hogan Ltd have been appointed to deliver the project on behalf of Tauranga City Council.
The works are expected to take up to 12 months to complete, the bulk by October 2025, before the busy Christmas retail period.
To complete the works as quickly as possible, they will be undertaken during the day and night and some weekends.
Traffic management will be in place, including lane closures and speed limits, but access to Tauranga Crossing and the BP service station and through to the other businesses in the Tauriko Business Estate will be maintained.
“We’re working with Tauranga Crossing and BP to ensure disruption is reduced where possible, and with NZTA on how nearby infrastructure projects can align,” Rozeboom said.
Tauranga Crossing Limited Centre manager Janet Vincent said the shopping centre team is looking forward to seeing the work underway.
“This upgrade will improve access to our growing shopping centre, and it will provide easier and safer options for our shoppers to move around,” Vincent said.
“We’ve worked closely with the council on the design of the upgrade and will continue to do so in the construction phase, to help ensure the needs of our retailers, shoppers and suppliers are taken into account throughout.”
8 comments
ruined it once why not
Posted on 22-05-2025 09:27 | By Opinion100
why are lights such a big staple point in tauranga? you got them spread 1km apart down cameron road.
why are bus lanes every where, a whole lane that could be used to help traffic flow but no only for busses and motorcyclist.
why do you reduce lanes to 1 when there was previously 2? and make traffic worse.
why do you have plants in the middle of the road which block drivers vision, and create blind spots.
why do crossings needs lights? can people not use there head an look? or are you yourself glued to your phone.
why do we need bike lanes taking up a whole foot path when they just use the road anyway?
your planning sucks ass and always will, you look to work on senseless items all the time.
Admission
Posted on 22-05-2025 11:16 | By Kancho
This shows up the original and not very old design being very poor died it not. Not that anyone at council will take responsibility . It does make one wonder of the competence and the other examples in Cameron road and the city.
So people have kept out of the city but now can only imagine the Tauriko turmoil for a lengthy job and over winter too and Twelve months ! Still hopefully it will make Tauriko a bit less daunting with several roundabouts, speed and lane confusion. For those that can it's avoid the area. Still waiting for Barkes corner but it's going to be another temporary patch up no doubt
More unnecessary traffic lights
Posted on 22-05-2025 14:00 | By Petrovw2
This will just build up traffic and create unnecessary delays
It works perfectly well currently and will continue to in the future without council interference
Just how....
Posted on 22-05-2025 14:43 | By groutby
....does removing the roundabout (which is currently quite free flowing) and installing lights actually assist with the increase in volumes when lights surely will back the traffic up?...and...has there been a study (a proper one) done as to how many people walk and cycle to the shopping centre to do their weekly food shop and spend up large in the shops and then get their purchases home?....I would say not..so is the expense actually needed?
More manipulation of our human habits and it would seem they are following these habits with the intention of interfering with them....
As one writer said how about the Barkes corner debacle?...and leave us alone !!..
Roundabouts
Posted on 22-05-2025 14:45 | By Kancho
Seems a there wss special offer on roundabouts a few years back . A local Greerton panelbeater told me he had seven vehicles in a couple of weeks. So while you are at it fix the Tauriko roundabout on SH 29 as saving time using route K Takitimu is good until arriving at Tauriko and can spend ten to fifteen minutes trying to get on the roundabout to get to Barkes corner
Trust TCC
Posted on 22-05-2025 14:50 | By nerak
to turn this into a year long project, probably much longer knowing how they work. Why they need to be so involved, oh, that's right, they have too much staff to keep busy.
Gridlock
Posted on 22-05-2025 16:22 | By Fernhill22
Who comes up with these stupid ideas? This only going to create gridlock, as there are 2 roundabouts 500m either side of this new intersection. This whole area is only going to get busier & busier as more businesses locate into the industrial area, so you would have thought that you want traffic to flow easier.
Wouldn't a more practical approach have been to create an underground tunnel or a bridge for pedestrians/ cyclists to utilise?
This has been poorly thought through, just like the traffic changes that were implemented in Greerton about 5/6 years ago. Look how well that worked.
And why is this going to take 12 months to complete, we need to get better value for money. This could be completed in 2 months, if TCC focused all resources on getting one job completed at a time quickly & efficiently rather than multiple jobs taking forever.
Not again
Posted on 25-05-2025 21:07 | By NZoldkiwi
Just another magic fix to bleed ratepayers dry. Roundabout works fine. Why change what is not broken.
In reply to ruined it once why not, traffic lights on Cameron road are only on average 200 meters apart not 1 kilometer. They really got traffic flowing.
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