Youngson Rd is set to reopen as the Ōmokoroa roundabout project enters its final phase.

From today, traffic travelling towards Tauranga will once again be able to turn right into Youngson Rd, and traffic from Youngson Rd will be able to turn left towards Katikati.

However, there will no longer be a right-turn out of Youngson Rd – traffic travelling towards Tauranga will need to turn left and loop back around the roundabout, said a statement from Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

The roundabout is designed to improve safety and traffic flow. It is part of the SH2/Ōmokoroa Road intersection upgrade, a minimum 10-year interim solution to address the needs of the intersection until funding becomes available to build a full interchange.

“While you won’t initially notice much of a change in the roundabout, this is an exciting milestone for the project,” said Annelie Badenhorst, Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s infrastructure growth and delivery manager.

“It means we are on the home stretch and over the coming months things will really start to take shape.”

Teams will continue work on SH2 through November, with works scheduled to take place south of the new roundabout at night.

During the day, drivers can expect slower traffic as aggregate surfaces are laid, with this phase expected to take around two to three weeks.

Between now and Christmas, crews will also mark out the exact placement of the median islands and main roundabout island, ready to be built after the Christmas and New Year break.

There will also be construction taking place on Ōmokoroa Rd to create four lanes leading to the new roundabout.

In the next week, there will be a traffic switch on Ōmokoroa Rd to allow some work to be completed in the westbound lane.

A map showing where the works will be taking place. Image / Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Early in the new year, final touches will be completed, including median Islands and the new roundabout island, deep lift asphalting at the new roundabout and lead-ins, landscaping, side barriers, signage and streetlighting.

Once all of this is complete, there will be one final surfacing layer across both SH2 and Ōmokoroa Road and final line marking, bringing the project to completion.

“The end is well and truly in sight,” said Badenhorst.

“The sites are going to be very busy over the coming months, and we ask that anyone travelling through during this time slows down and keeps an eye out for changes - and I’m sure our busy crews would appreciate a smile and friendly wave as they work hard to complete this work.”