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 early 2025, 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’re working 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.
Taurikura Drive upgrade – indicative design
Maintaining access throughout construction
Works will begin in early 2025. Construction will be staged to reduce the impact of the works on vehicles passing through the site and accessing adjacent businesses, while still allowing the works to progress at pace.
The works will likely involve reduced speed limits through the construction zone, a reduction in lanes available to traffic and occasional night works. The construction methodology will be finalised once a contractor is appointed.
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.
Bus stop relocation
We will need to temporarily relocate the bus stop near Pak ‘n Save on Taurikura Drive during part of the works. This stop is used by Baybus routes 52x and CT, as well as school buses servicing the Kaimai Range. We are working with the Ministry of Education and Bay of Plenty Regional Council/Baybus to plan for an alternative location and communicate the changes to users.
Future transport hub
Tauranga City Council is currently investigating options for the location and funding of a future public transport hub in Tauriko, to support the growth of the area. The future public transport hub 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.
The public transport hub could be built on-road on Taurikura Drive (where the bus stop currently is), off-road on Tauranga Crossing land, or in another location altogether. This decision will be made by Tauranga City Council in the coming months.
The design of the Taurikura Drive upgrade accommodates all these options.
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 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 Tauranga Crossing’s two developments.
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.
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.