Western Bay of Plenty police are praising the early construction start time of the Tauranga Eastern Link, saying it will reduce the number of road crashes along the notorious stretch of State Highway 2.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced in Tauranga on Thursday that tolling would be implemented on the 23km highway, which runs from Te Maunga to Paengaroa.

The KiwiRAP rating system ranked the existing stretch of SH2 between Te Maunga and Paengaroa - the second most dangerous in New Zealand.
A number of major road smashes have occurred along the highway this year, including a crash that hospitalised six people travelling in one vehicle and left an 11 year old girl fighting for her life.
Western Bay road policing manager, senior sergeant Ian Campion, says the new highway will reduce the number of crashes on SH2.
"If it (the new highway) receives a high percentage of the through traffic, I would expect there to be some reduction in crash and trauma levels."

"Once TEL has been completed, State Highway 2 will still carry a significant amount of traffic. The expectation that it might solve all the problems is too high."
The New Zealand Transport Agency says if tolling was not introduced, construction on the highway may not have started for another 10 years.
Projected time savings between Te Maunga and Paengaroa is 12 minutes each way.
Ian says it is his hope that people will use the new highway instead of the old SH2 route.