Tauranga communities are invited to give feedback on plans to upgrade Cameron Road from 17th Avenue, near Tauranga Hospital, to Maleme Street by the Tauranga Racecourse. The project includes four-laning and important water service upgrades to support our growing population.

Tauranga City Council is gathering feedback through an online survey and community drop-in sessions throughout April and May. People can look at the revised concept plans, which also include separated on-road cycle lanes and shared walking and cycling paths where space is limited.

The proposed plans include using the outside lanes as high-occupancy vehicle lanes (T2/T3) during peak times. On-street parking would remain available during off peak periods.

Several options are being explored for Greerton Village. These include two or four traffic lanes, along with either traffic signals or roundabouts at the Chadwick Road and Cornwall Street intersections.

The work also includes upgrades to wastewater, stormwater and water supply networks.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the upgrades are essential to meet demand for new homes across the city.

“These upgrades will support the anticipated growth of about 5800 homes on the Te Papa Peninsula, as well as 2400 new homes in Tauriko West. We’ve already invested in Cameron Road stage 1 and the Tauriko Enabling Works so to realise the full benefits of these earlier investments, we now need to progress the stage 2 improvements, which will better connect people travelling from the west to the city centre and beyond.”

Community engagement on stage 2 of the Cameron Road upgrade began in 2022 with a business case developed for consideration by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). However, the project was not prioritised for government funding in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

The proposed $98.8 million transport upgrades are a revised, value-for-money option that will be funded by an Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) grant from central government, the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Levy (of which ratepayers have contributed about $20 million), and developer contributions.

Essential waters infrastructure upgrades – worth another $86.7 million – are fully funded in the 2024-2034 Long-term Plan and will be constructed at the same time as the road upgrade. Combining the work reduces overall disruption and provides better value for the community.

The project has been recognised at a national level with endorsement by the Infrastructure Commission as part of its Infrastructure Priorities Programme(IPP) and included in the National Infrastructure Plan published by the Commission last month.

Following community engagement, the plans will go back to Council for approval of the final design, with construction expected between 2028-2030.

Mahé says Council has learned from Cameron Road stage 1, with the work expected to be less disruptive, and better planned and communicated than the stage 1 project.

“We acknowledge there will still be an impact on communities, including businesses. Once the upgrades are completed, we expect the changes will bring benefits to local businesses. More people will be travelling through and visiting the area, creating more opportunities and customers. We’ll work closely with businesses to understand their concerns and minimise impacts as much as possible.”

You can see the plans and share your feedback at letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/cameronroad.

Notes:

• The Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) provides councils with funding to support the delivery of critical infrastructure (transport, water and flood management projects) needed to enable housing development and commits councils and developers to building homes in areas of high housing need.
• More information about the Infrastructure Funding and Finance Levy and how it applies in Tauranga can be found on the council website - https://govt.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6a999872975eb9c07f69abb70&id=fb25898ff2&e=745e0a8107

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