Plans to reduce congestion in one of Tauranga’s biggest choke points can begin after the Government approved funding for the design stage.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi agreed to fund $5.2 million for the 15th Ave to Welcome Bay project.

Tauranga City Council will pay the remaining $5.1m of the estimated $10.3m cost for detailed design and construction preparation.

But there is no guarantee the $140m project will receive all the funding it needs to be built.

The plan includes three-laning Turret Rd, the Hairini Bridge and causeway to add a tidal flow lane system that changes direction with peak traffic, as well as four-laning 15th Ave between Cameron Rd and Burrows St.

The footpath and cycleway would also be re-located to a lightweight clip-on structure attached to the bridge.

This would provide extra traffic capacity between the city centre and the growing suburbs of Welcome Bay, Hairini, Ohauiti and Maungatapu.

The business case for the project was endorsed by the council in August and sent to the NZTA board for funding approval.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop. Photo / Mark Mitchell

On Monday Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced the funding, the same day council approved procuring contractors for the project.

Bishop said the majority of people in those suburbs needed to cross the harbour to get to schools, supermarkets and their jobs.

“It’s all about saving people travel time. By reducing congestion that extends on to the state highway, modelling shows it will save more than 750 vehicle hours of congestion per day, which is an average of two to three minutes of peak travel time saving per vehicle,” he said in a statement.

Turret Rd is used by 28,000 vehicles per day and 15th Ave by 21,000 according to the business case.

Detailed design on the Hairini Bridge was expected to get under way in August, including further assessment of its structural and seismic capacity.

After this full design would begin in early 2026. The council would seek feedback from the community prior to construction starting.

Construction is planned for late 2026 provided further funding is approved by NZTA.

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale. Photo / Alisha Evans

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale said the council was pleased to be closer to delivering what had been talked about for “too long”.

“As well as reducing congestion, the project will improve transport choice by providing improved walking and cycling facilities and help to improve social wellbeing and connectivity. More efficient movement of both people and goods also leads to improved productivity and economic growth so it’s a win-win for everyone in Tauranga,” he said in a statement.

Drysdale said the council had been planning how the project would be delivered, with the aim of minimising disruption to the city’s transport network, the community, and the environment, while still providing value for money.

“The project will significantly impact the traveling public along with nearby businesses and schools. Therefore, careful planning and clear communication are essential to successfully managing these challenges.”

“We know from our consultation with the community through development of the business case that people have a real interest in this project, and they gave us valuable feedback which helped to inform the ideas taken forward in the early design.”

Architect Mark Wassung approached Tauranga City Council with the tidal lane idea in 2017.

He previously told Local Democracy Reporting the project “should have been done in 2017 or ‘18 with vigour and enthusiasm - not in 2024 when it’s been broken for so long.”

Proposed 15th Ave to Welcome Bay project

• Completing four-laning of 15th Ave from Cameron Rd to Burrows St, one lane in each direction for general traffic and one high occupancy lane (T2) for vehicles with two or more passengers, including buses.
• Intersection improvements on 15th Ave, including new signalised crossings, and shared walking and cycling facilities
• Three-laning of Hairini Bridge and causeway, including a tidal flow system which means there could be two lanes of traffic going into the city in the morning, changing to two lanes going out of the city in the afternoon
• A clip-on shared-use path on Hairini Bridge for walking and cycling
• Resilience improvements to the Hairini Bridge and causeway
• New traffic signals at the intersection of Welcome Bay Rd and James Cook Drive
• Mini roundabout at the intersection of James Cook Drive and Victory St.
• Renewals and upgrades to water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure along the corridor.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.