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Projects/Preparing Taurikura Drive for the future

Whakaritenga o Taurikura Drive ki raurangi

Preparing Taurikura Drive for the future

We are upgrading Taurikura Drive between SH36 and Whiore Avenue to support the growth of the Tauriko area.

Temporary bus stop closure

The Tauranga Crossing bus stop near Pak ‘n Save will be closed from Monday 30 June and until October, to enable the works on Taurikura Drive. This stop is used by Baybus routes 52x and CT.

A temporary bus stop is located outside Animates on Taurikura Drive, approximately 180m down the road, past Whiore Avenue. Please follow the pathway and signage in place.

Why we’re doing this

The Tauriko Business Estate and the Tauranga Crossing shopping centre are both growing, and significant new housing developments are in the pipeline in the Tauriko area and the wider Western Corridor. The area could see up to 2,400 new homes built from 2027 and over the next 15 years, along with an additional 50 hectares of business land being developed. This means there will be more people using Taurikura Drive to go to work, do their shopping and access businesses. To support this growth, it’s essential that we have resilient, reliable and safe transport infrastructure in place.

We are planning to upgrade Taurikura Drive between SH36 and Whiore Avenue to provide for higher traffic volumes and ease anticipated congestion. These improvements, to take place from Autumn 2025 for around 12 months, will enable safer, smoother traffic flow, faster and more reliable journey times for all modes of transport, while supporting future development in the region.

They will provide easier and safer ways of moving around for shopping centre customers, business estate employees and customers, and other members of the community, including safe walking and cycling options connecting to residential areas at The Lakes and Tauriko West (future).

The upgrade will also support the future establishment of a public transport hub in the area, to better connect the growing Tauriko area with the city, so that people have options to get to where they need to go.

What’s the plan?

The upgrade will include reconfiguring Taurikura Drive to include more lanes, building two new signalised intersections to improve traffic flow and safety, and new paths for walking and cycling with a new signalised mid-block crossing.

One of the signalised intersections will replace the existing roundabout at the main entrance of Tauranga Crossing, to support larger volumes of traffic and improve access to the shopping centre. We have worked closely with Tauranga Crossing Limited and BP to design the new roading layout so it integrates with the internal layout of the shopping centre and of the service station.

We will also expand the current Tauranga Crossing bus stop outside Pak’nSave to include more bus stops,two additional bus shelters on the shopping centre side of the road, and an additional shelter at the bus layover area on the BP side of the road.

Taurikura Drive upgrade – final design

Taurikura Drive upgrade final map (132kb pdf)

Maintaining access throughout construction

Works will begin at the end of May 2025, with Fulton Hogan delivering the project on behalf of Tauranga City Council. The works are expected to take up to 12 months to complete, however the construction programme has been designed with the aim to get the bulk of the works done by October 2025, prior to the busy Christmas retail period.

To complete the works as quickly as possible the works will be undertaken both during the day and at night with some weekend works also expected.

Traffic management is in place through the construction site and involve reduced speed and lane closures on Taurikura Drive and the SH36 roundabout. As a priority we will ensure that access to Tauranga Crossing and the BP service station is maintained throughout the project, as well as access through to other businesses in the Tauriko Business Estate. But as traffic disruptions are inevitable, please consider alternative routes such as SH36 and Paraone Koikoi Drive, if you are travelling through to the Tauriko Business Estate.

SH36 roundabout temporary layout

Accessing Taurikura Drive map (181kb pdf)

Accessing SH36 North map (183kb pdf)

Accessing Lakes Boulevard map (184kb pdf)

Accessing SH36 South map (182kb pdf)

Key information

Project type
Transport and movement

Status
Underway

Neighbourhood
Tauriko/The Lakes

Key dates

Planning and design
December 2023 – November 2024
Procurement
Early 2025
Construction start
Late May 2025
Expected completion
Mid-2026

Tauranga Crossing is open

With over 100 stores to shop, eat and play – the shopping centre is open seven days a week as usual. Head on over!

BP Tauriko is open 24/7

The BP Connect and Truckstop remain accessible and ready to fuel you up throughout the works.

Who's listening

Transport team
Tauranga City Council

taurikura.drive@tauranga.govt.nz
07 577 7000

Resources

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Full lane closure on SH36 (39kb pdf)

Bus stop changes

The Tauranga Crossing bus stop near Pak ‘n Save will be closed from Monday 30 June and until October, to enable the works on Taurikura Drive. This stop is used by Baybus routes 52x and CT.

Please use other nearby bus stops during this time: at Lakes Boulevard-Caldera Crescent, or at Taurikura Drive-Whakakake Street (opposite Farmers).(opposite Farmers).

The transfer location for Ministry of Education buses servicing communities in the Kaimai Range will also move (permanently) from the Tauranga Crossing bus stop to the Lakes Boulevard-Caldera Crecent bus stop. This change will take effect on Monday 14 July.

Future transport hub

Tauranga City Council is currently investigating options for the location and funding of a future off-road public transport hub in Tauriko, to support the growth of the area. The Taurikura Drive upgrade has been designed to accommodate a potential public transport hub at Tauranga Crossing, should funding be secured in the future.

In the meantime, council will deliver improved bus facilities on Taurikura Drive itself, expanding the current Tauranga Crossing bus stop outside Pak’nSave. These upgrades will mean better access to convenient and reliable transport options for people who live, work, shop and play in the wider Tauriko area, helping them to move more easily around the area and the city.

There’s lots happening in the area – how does it all work together?

The Tauriko area is thriving, and there’s a lot of construction activity in the area, including along SH29 where we’re progressing the Tauriko Enabling Works with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). There’s also private development ongoing at Tauranga Crossing, with the construction of the shopping centre’s stage 3 development in progress, along with Tauranga Crossing’s new lifestyle development on Taurikura Drive between BP and Farmers.

We are working closely with our partners at NZTA and Tauranga Crossing Limited to design and plan for the delivery of the works to reduce disruption as much as possible, and deliver integrated outcomes. We are working with Tauranga Crossing Limited to manage the impact of the works on shopping centre retailers and customers and keep everyone well informed throughout the construction.

The design of the upgrade also integrates with future improvements along Whiore Avenue as part of the SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works, which will provide a direct connection to SH29/Cambridge Road and the future community at Tauriko West for buses, walking and cycling.

The construction methodology and traffic management approach for the Taurikura Drive upgrade will work in with the traffic management for the SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works at Cambridge Road and Whiore Avenue, and Tauranga Crossing’s two developments.

Thanks for your patience as we prepare Taurikura Drive for the future. And remember – Tauranga Crossing is open and ready to cater to all your shopping, dining and entertainment needs, and BP Connect Tauriko’s fuel pumps remain open 24 hours.