Motorists using Tauranga’s state highway network are being warned to expect overnight road closures, detours and ongoing lane restrictions later this month.

Two overnight closures are planned on SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd and SH2 in late July, while major works at key interchanges and the Takitimu North Link project’s new flyover bridge move closer to completion.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said in a statement the first closure would affect the SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd in both directions on Sunday, July 26, from 8pm to 4am.

Northbound traffic will be diverted via SH29A, and southbound motorists will be directed along SH2 through Bethlehem, Moffat Rd and Cambridge Rd.

A second overnight closure is planned for Tuesday, July 28, between 8pm and 4am, affecting westbound SH2 traffic from Elizabeth St through to the SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd.

A map showing the key work sites on the project. Image / NZTA

During that closure, SH2 traffic will be detoured via Cameron Rd and 15th Ave, and SH29 traffic will be diverted via Cameron Rd and SH29A.

Work is nearing completion at the SH2 and SH29/Takitimu Drive merge point, where road widening, new barriers, lighting and sign gantries are being installed.

To allow pavement construction to continue, two lanes on SH2 between the SH29 overbridge and 15th Ave will be reduced to a single lane from Tuesday, July 14.

The new bridge connection at SH2/15th Ave to SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd. Photo / NZTA

The exit from SH29 to 15th Ave will remain closed until late July before reopening as a two-lane exit. Final surfacing work is expected to be completed in spring.

At the SH2/15th Ave interchange, construction of the new bridge structure has finished, and crews are now focused on drainage, approach works and installation of retaining wall panels.

The existing lane closure near Edgecumbe Rd will remain in place until late 2026.

From the week beginning July 26, work will also start at the southern end of the 15th Ave bridge, where the road will be widened and barriers installed.

NZTA said the work will involve an extended construction phase and further changes to the traffic layout.

A new flyover bridge is part of the major interchange under construction at SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd, between Tauriko and Tauranga. Photo / NZTA

In another milestone, motorists travelling from the SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd towards Tauranga CBD and the Port of Tauranga are expected to begin using the new flyover bridge later this month.

The switch will allow crews to begin constructing a new SH29 road alignment and roundabout connection to the future expressway.