Announcement welcomed by regional council

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is welcoming today’s announcement by Transport Minister Steven Joyce, that Cabinet has approved use of tolling on the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL)

The approval means construction of the TEL is expected to begin next year and take around five years to complete.

The TEL will be developed as a four lane highway from the Te Maunga junction to the junction of SH2 and SH33 near Paengaroa.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chief Executive Bill Bayfield said the Council welcomed today’s announcement about the highway – an important link in improving inter and intra-regional access to the Port of Tauranga.

“It shows that the Government is committed to the need to put infrastructure in place that will cater for the future economic and population growth of the region,” Mr Bayfield said.

The Tauranga Eastern Link will have two sections – one from Te Maunga to Domain Road that will be an upgrade of the existing two-lane road to a four-lane motorway and will not be tolled The other section will be a completely new four-lane motorway with a median barrier from Domain Road to Paengaroa that will be tolled near the Pāpāmoa East interchange.

“This more direct alternative to SH2 will not only improve access to the Port, it should also result in increased productivity for regional and national freight traffic, as well as providing a safer and more direct alternative route for vehicles travelling between Tauranga and Paengaroa,” Mr Bayfield said.

“SmartGrowth, a programme for managing growth in the western Bay of Plenty, had also recognised the challenges that population growth would bring to the region and noted that future projects including the Rangiuru Business Park would benefit immensely from the Tauranga Eastern Link motorway.”

ENDS

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