Construction of the Rotorua Eastern Arterial will not be going ahead its designation will no longer be required.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has confirmed the REA designation, which encompassed land between Te Ngae Road and the edge of Lake Rotorua has been lifted.

A map of the Rotorua Eastern Arterial route. This week the New Zealand Transport Agency confirmed the planned works will no longer be going ahead.

The designation had been in place since 1963 as a response to Rotorua's expected growth and potential traffic issues at that time.

NZTA regional director Harry Wilson says the REA was seen as the long term solution to ease congestion on Rotorua's eastern corridor, but investigations have shown that growth can be managed with upgrades to the existing route.

'Rotorua is a key connection point for road transport in the central and upper North Island, linking industries such as tourism and forestry with the Port of Tauranga,” says Harry.

'The city's eastern corridor has long been identified as the location for the majority of future residential and employment development in Rotorua and the agency has been carrying out extensive investigations to find the best transport plan for this area's future.”

The NZTA investigations show Rotorua's congestion issues can be improved by upgrading State Highway 30/Te Ngae Road corridor.

Harry says after undertaking a further detailed and in-depth review of all options the agency is confident the decision to lift the designation of the REA is the right one.

'Lifting the designation allows the land to be used to support council's spatial planning and gives the community and developers certainty.

'The Transport Agency will continue to work with Rotorua Lakes Council to identify future improvements such as more four-laning and projects to separate state highway and local road traffic as Rotorua grows to ensure the corridor supports traffic volumes into the future.”

For now, the NZTA plans to start work on the initial $24 million roading package which will focus on the eastern and central corridors with an upgrade to SH30.

This will include improvements at the Te Ngae and Tarawera Road intersection, four-laning a section of Te Ngae Road, and improved walking and cycling connections.

'As part of this package SH30A/Amohau Street will be revoked and the ownership handed to Rotorua Lakes Council to support their CBD revitalisation strategy.”

Harry says the package addresses current capacity issues and accommodates medium-term growth and the agency will work to identify the future growth triggers for further investment.

The $24m package of work comes on the back of road improvements that are already underway or will start shortly.

This includes $3.5m of safety improvements on SH30 and SH33 between Tauranga and Rotorua, a $5.5m investment for cycling and the $8.1m Hemo Road roundabout which is due to get underway in April.

These works will be co-funded by the Government through the NZ Transport Agency and Rotorua Lakes Council, and includes funding from the Urban Cycling Fund.