After four years of traffic disruption, the Pāpāmoa East Interchange is complete and about to open for use.
By Ayla Yeoman for Local Democracy Reporting
The interchange is set to open officially to the public at the end of the month after being blessed on March 30.
Tauranga residents who commute to Pāpāmoa say the interchange would significantly impact their travel time.
A Golden Sands School teacher, Liana Rosie, said the opening of the interchange would be “wonderful”.
Rosie commutes from Pukehina and said the interchange would cut her commute in half to and from work by at least 15 minutes each way.
“Currently, the commute takes me around 35-40 minutes from home to school.”
She said the cut in travel time was “very timely” given that less petrol would be used.
It would also allow her to spend more time at the school, especially at the end of the day.
“[I] will be able to meet with parents and outside agencies for longer.”
She said she was impressed by how quickly the work was completed.
Another teacher at the school, Melissa Burgess, said she commutes from Lake Rotoiti.
“My usual commute is about 40 minutes. I think that it will save me about 15 minutes each way.”
Suzanne Aubert Catholic School office administrator Maria Mooney said it would cut time off her Mount Maunganui commute and would likely attract more people to The Sands shopping mall.
“I think it’s great.”
A staff member at Spring Vets Pāpāmoa who lived in Paengaroa said her travel time would be cut in half.
Catering for growth
The $98 million project involved an overbridge across the Tauranga Eastern Link/ State Highway 2, on and off ramps, a connection with The Sands Avenue between the bridge and a new intersection at Te Okuroa Drive, and Three Waters infrastructure.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi funded 51% of the costs, and the council said the majority of the remaining costs were funded via development contributions.
The council received a 10-year interest-free loan for the project via the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
Tauranga City Council said the Pāpāmoa area was expected to grow significantly over the next 20 years, increasing to around 40,000 by 2043.
The interchange was adopted to support this growth by building additional transport infrastructure.
The interchange would enable faster travel between neighbourhoods in Pāpāmoa East, the Tauranga city centre, Mount Maunganui and other destinations in the area.
It would also provide a more direct connection to the Rangiuru Business Park.
Construction started in July 2022 and up until the opening at the end of March, drivers had been impacted by reduced speed limits, construction traffic and other disruptions.
The Tauranga Eastern Link was a toll road which caused controversy during the construction of the interchange.
Pāpāmoa Residents and Ratepayers Association chair Philip Brown said residents would watch with curiosity to see if the traffic patterns changed and if traffic reduces on Pāpāmoa Beach Rd and Te Okuroa Drive in the morning and afternoon peaks.
Brown said a major concern was around the cost to drive the section of the Tauranga Eastern Link from Domain Rd to the Pāpāmoa East Interchange.
“Currently, there is no charge, but this is temporary.”
Brown said there was no consultation with the community, there was a request for a pedestrian link from the interchange bridge to Bell Rd for a Tsunami pedestrian evacuation route, but it was met with “a resounding no” from the council.
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris said residents had shared their concerns about tolling as they felt they were already paying for the interchange through rates and fuel taxes.
“My concern has always been that, in addition to double paying, tolling could push traffic back onto local roads and undermine some of the interchange’s benefit.”
He said this interchange would benefit local families by saving travel time.
“Those extra minutes saved each day add up quickly.
“It means more time with family in the evening, and it means a quicker run to work in the morning.”
He said it would also take pressure off roads like Tara Road, Te Okuroa Drive and parts of Pāpāmoa Beach Road.
“I pushed to bring forward construction of Te Okurroia Drive about 10 years ago, and I also moved the motion to bring forward construction of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange.
“There is a real sense of satisfaction in finally seeing those connections come together.
He was concerned that Tauranga seemed to “always be singled out” when it came to tolling.
“Billions have been spent on a new Hamilton bypass, Manawatu Gorge bypass and Transmission Gully, and yet none of those are tolled.”
He said he had his eye on the future and the next piece needed was a Kaituna Link, a bridge across the Kaituna River connecting to the Rangiuru Interchange, so that Pāpāmoa wasn’t swamped with all the Te Tumu traffic in the future.
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said that last year, he strongly advocated for the east-bound off-ramp to be opened early.
“The full opening of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange will be a genuine game-changer for Pāpāmoa East, our largest and fastest-growing suburb.”
He said the interchange would dramatically improve connectivity between neighbourhoods, ease long-standing pressure on Tara Road and Te Okuroa Drive, and unlock better access for the ongoing The Sands Town Centre development as well as the major residential growth planned for Wairākei and Te Tumu.
Tolling
NZ Transport Agency regional system design manager Susan Collins said tolling had been used in Tauranga to bring forward the construction of new roads, supporting accelerated growth and economic productivity with State Highway 2 Tauranga Eastern Link and State Highway 29 Takitimu Drive.
“The Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road is a vital transport link in the Bay of Plenty, providing a safer, more efficient and reliable route.
“Tolling is a user pays option bringing efficiency, safety and resiliency benefits to the transport network.”
She said there were free and viable alternative routes for travellers to use if they didn’t want to pay the toll.
“The Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 sets the expectation for NZTA to consider tolling to support the construction and maintenance of all new roads.”
Collins said tolling provided an opportunity for an additional source of revenue to support major infrastructure projects, as the National Land Transport Fund was under increasing pressure to fund transport improvements and increasing road maintenance costs across the country.
Public consultation on the toll proposal for the Tauranga Eastern Link toll road closed in August 2025 and NZTA would announce the outcome shortly.
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Challenges
Tauranga City Council senior project manager Nic Barnett said the project came across several challenges, which delayed completion.
Barnett said there were poor-quality underlying ground conditions along sections of the interchange bridge ends and ramps, which required engineering solutions to overcome.
Solutions included adding large quantities of new material and leaving it for a period of six to nine months to allow the underlying ground to consolidate and stabilise.
He said both ends of the overbridge required specialist ground improvement to support the bridge.
They had to install sheet piles and a grid of stone columns, 15 – 20m deep, installed and pressurised to densify the existing ground material.
“The logistics of working adjacent to and above the live Tauranga Eastern Link State Highway was complex and required careful planning and special attention to ensure worker and driver safety as well as minimising Tauranga Eastern Link user disruption during construction.”
Barnett said several inspections and completion checks would be done prior to the official opening to ensure the interchange was operating safely.
“This is additional to the various staged safety assessments that are conducted through the design and construction phases.”
He said the high demand for the eastbound off-ramp influenced the opportunity for the early opening last year.
Barnett said once the interchange opened, users of the Tauranga Eastern Link would need to be aware of the ramps and potential merging traffic.
“We don’t anticipate this will cause any delays to traffic flows.
“We expect users of Te Okuroa Drive/Tara Road, Parton Road and potentially the Domain Road interchange to observe less traffic during peak times as some current users choose to use the new interchange.”
He said for access to and from homes and businesses in the vicinity of the new interchange, there would be an “immediate travel time benefit”, particularly during peak time and for travelling east towards Whakatane or Rotorua, through not having to backtrack to use the Domain Road interchange.
“We anticipate most issues will be minor and will usually be resolved through driver familiarity with the new layout.
“A formal safety audit is also programmed to be undertaken within two weeks of the opening, which will further review the operation.”
The Tauranga City Council said the interchange would bring a positive impact to Pāpāmoa for generations.
This was joint project with Tauranga City Council, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, HEB construction and local iwi: Tapuika, Waitaha, Ngā Pōtiki and Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū.
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