SH2 Waihī to Tauranga Corridor and Western Corridor ... · Due to the early stage of the business case development, the approach taken has been revised to be multi-modal and collaborative

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SH2 Waihi to Tauranga & Western

Corridor Growth Area

Re-evaluation Summary

New Zealand Transport Agency

V0.3 SEPTEMBER 2018

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Overview .................................................................................................................................................................. 3

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga Corridor ..................................................................................................................... 3

SH29 Western Corridor ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Re-evaluation findings .......................................................................................................................................... 4

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga Corridor ..................................................................................................................... 4


Introduction & Context .................................................................................................................................... 5

Regional Context ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Project History ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga .................................................................................................................................... 6


Overview of re-evaluation findings ............................................................................................................. 10

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Problems to be addressed & investment objectives ............................................................................... 10

Additional outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Integrated land use and transport planning & mode neutrality .......................................................... 11

SH29 – Western Corridor ...................................................................................................................................... 11

Problems to be addressed & investment objectives ............................................................................... 11

Integrated land use and transport planning & mode neutrality .......................................................... 12

Proposed direction & programme............................................................................................................... 13

Programme, costs & outcomes ......................................................................................................................... 17

Appendix 1 – Omokoroa to Te Puna Options ............................................................................................ 21

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Executive Summary

This paper presents the findings of the re-evaluation of both the SH2 Waihi to Tauranga projects and SH29

Western Corridor (Tauriko West network connection) project. These projects have been considered together

given the proximity of the activities to each other and the significant place making and system impact the

combined activities will have on the wider Tauranga transport system.

Overview

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga Corridor

SH2 connects Tauranga, Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula to Auckland and is one of the Upper

North Island key journeys. The 57 kilometre section has evolved from a rural road, with multiple connecting

local roads, passing through a few small rural settlements to a route where there is significant residential

growth and intensified land use. It is a busy commuter, agribusiness, freight and tourism route.

Road safety risk on the corridor is high with 77 people dying or seriously injured over the last five years (2013-

2017). Currently traffic volumes on the SH2 corridor range from 15,560 vehicles at the Pokeno end to 30,000

vehicles nearing Tauranga per day. Approximately 20% of vehicles use SH2 to travel between South Auckland

and Tauranga. Heavy commercial vehicles make up between 13% (at Waihi) and 22% (at Wairoa Bridge) of

vehicle composition in the corridor.

In addition, the SmartGrowth settlement pattern indicates the communities of Bethlehem, Omokoroa, Katikati

and Waihi Beach will expand from 21,000 to 35,000 people by 2040. Consequently, as more vehicles travel this

route the efficiency and safety levels of services will further decline.

Previous investigations throughout the SH2 Waihi to Tauranga corridor have been based on the achieving the

following outcomes:

• Reducing death and serious injuries by 50% over the next 10 years

• Reducing the predictive crash risk of the Waihi to Tauranga corridor by improving the KiwiRAP rating from 2

to 3 star over the next 10 years

• Increasing people throughput by 10% (from 21,000 people per day to 23,000) by 2025

• Increasing journey predictability by 50% (from ±4 minutes to ±2 minutes) by 2025

SH29 Western Corridor

The work on SH29 Western Corridor is less advanced with the project currently in the process of being

progressed as a detailed business case following NZTA Board support of the programme business case in

October 2017.

The Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty sub-region is experiencing high population growth with a

forecast dwelling shortfall of 20,000-28,000 in the next 50 years. The suburb of Tauriko is located in the Western

Corridor of Tauranga and is expected to provide up to 18,500 dwellings in SmartGrowth’s long term horizon

with 350 hectares of industrial land and 44,000m2 net leasable retail area.

Structure planning has commenced which requires an integrated approach to land use and transport

planning to ensure that the transport system can support future development of the growth area. The

SmartGrowth partners have an ongoing collaborative approach to enable joint consultation and statutory

processes.

The investment objectives for the programme business case were:

• To maintain a freight travel time of 10 minutes on SH29 from SH2 to Omanawa Road with a variability of 3

minute (AM Peak) by 2030

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• Maintain a people travel time of 6 minutes on SH36 from Merrick Rd to Tauriko by 2030 (AM Peak) and

maintain a people travel time of 5 minutes on SH29A from Tauriko to Oropi by 2030 (PM)

• Limit the number of local trips generated from the Tauriko Growth Area that require access to the SH

network

• To reduce deaths and serious injuries along SH29 from Omanawa Road to Oropi Road Roundabout by 50%

by 2030.

Re-evaluation findings

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga Corridor

The re-evaluation has concluded that there is an urgent need to address the significant safety issues between

Waihi and Tauranga and between Katikati, Omokoroa and Te Puna in particular. Journey predictability

benefits of the scale proposed should not now be considered a priority for investment.

Improving people throughput remains a priority given land-use changes in the corridor, however, previous

work appears to have been pushed towards providing capacity for general traffic as opposed to exploring

opportunities for reducing single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) and providing enhanced transport choice.

To achieve these outcomes, a revised program is recommended:

• Waihi to Omokoroa: The project team should continue to identify and propose partial sections of corridor

where median barriers could be implemented effectively and provide value for money. The speed

enforcement regime should be reviewed with police, including consideration of point-to-point cameras.

This will be necessary to support a speed management approach that need to be applied

• Katikati Urban: Low cost, low risk measures should be examined for online improvements which improve

amenity including traffic signals at SH2/Beach Road and SH2/Marshall Street. Option 5 (bypass) should

remain the long-term preferred option but pre-implementation and implementation should be deferred.

• Omokoroa to Te Puna: The options analysis should be revisited with a focus on safety, value for money and

appropriate capacity to support sustainable growth, in particularly, non-single occupancy vehicles and

public transport. The scope should include adopting an 80kph speed environment, with at grade

interchanges, and a principle of online where it presents best value for money

• Tauranga Northern Link: Defer implementation of TNL until partners have an agreed programme of co-

investment which demonstrates how the GPS priorities and outcomes sought from the Tauranga Transport

Programme are going to be achieved within the context of the Northern Corridor, City access and linkages

to the Port and SH29. Support the current alignment but with the expectation that capacity will be utilized

to support choice and provide an attractive alternative to single-occupancy vehicle trips.


A review of the problems, benefits and investment outcomes as part of the re-evaluation processes has been

undertaken and concluded that supporting growth within the Western Corridor and addressing safety are

higher priorities than improved freight access. Further, there is little specific evidence that congestion or

increased unreliability on this section of SH29 within the context of a whole journey would have a tangible

economic impact on freight, although as a national (high volume) route a reliable level of service should be

maintained, albeit with a lower order priority.

Due to the early stage of the business case development, the approach taken has been revised to be multi-

modal and collaborative and the objectives have been refocussed to support growth. Therefore the findings

of re-evaluation are for the continuation of th single stage business base with an ongoing focus on access,

people movement and safety.

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Introduction & Context

Regional Context

SH2 connects Tauranga, Bay of Plenty and the

Coromandel Peninsula to Auckland and is one of the

Upper North Island key journeys. At the Waihi to

Tauranga end it is a busy commuter, agribusiness,

freight, and tourism route. This 57 kilometre section of SH2

has evolved from a rural road, with multiple connecting

local roads, passing through a few small rural settlements

to a route where there is significant residential growth

and intensified land use alongside. The corridor passes

through the growing townships of Katikati, Te Puna and

Bethlehem and has busy intersections to Waihi Beach

and Omokoroa communities.

The corridor is defined by the SmartGrowth Strategy (Bay

of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District

Council, Tauranga City Council, Tangata whenua, and

the NZ Transport Agency) as a preferred corridor for

population and economic development. The

SmartGrowth settlement pattern indicates communities

of Bethlehem, Omokoroa, Katikati and Waihi Beach are

expected to expand from 21,000 to 35,000 people by

2040. Consequently, as more vehicles travel this route

the efficiency and safety levels of services will further

decline.

Road safety risk on the corridor is high with 77 people dying or

seriously injured over the last five years (2013-2017). Currently

traffic volumes on the SH2 corridor range from 15,560 vehicles at

the Pokeno end to 30,000 vehicles nearing Tauranga per day.

Approximately 20% of vehicles use SH2 to travel between South

Auckland and Tauranga. Heavy commercial vehicles make up

between 13% (at Waihi) and 22% (at Wairoa Bridge) of vehicle

composition in the corridor.

The key investment outcomes sought on this section of SH2 have

been based on improved road safety and travel time

predictability.

Tauranga and the western Bay of Plenty continues to experience

strong population growth and as a result, more land is needed

for housing. Omokoroa and Tauriko West are agreed by

SmartGrowth Partners (including the NZ Transport Agency) as key

locations to create new communities. Whilst Omokoroa is now

developing, a long term plan is only recently underway for

Tauriko West that looks at how best to develop the new

Waikato

Key Journeys & 2018-21 NLTP Investment

Bay of Plenty

Key Journeys & 2018-21 NLTP Investment

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community, improve multi-modal transport links and open up the area for urban development.

State Highway 29 (SH29) is a key freight route that connects the region with Waikato, Auckland and the wider

North Island. This route supports the economic success of the Western Bay of Plenty and the NZ Transport

Agency is leading the transport plan to ensure that the transport system for Tauriko is safe, supports local

growth, and provides alternative travel choices for the community.

The transport plan aims to:

• provide more buses and improved walking and cycling connectivity to local amenities such as schools,

businesses, recreation areas and culturally significant places

• improve road safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries

• maintain efficient freight access to the Port of Tauranga

• ensure the right vehicles are using the right roads, with short local trips using local roads and longer

distance trips using the State highway network.

This paper presents the findings of the re-evaluation of both the SH2 Waihi to Tauranga projects and SH29

Western Corridor (Tauriko West network connection) project. These projects have been considered together

given the proximity of the activities to each other and the significant place making and system impact the

combined activities will have on the wider Tauranga transport system. Conversely, the impact that transport

system choices made by Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty

Regional Council could have on the effectiveness of any proposed investment in these corridors.

Project History

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga

The SH2 Waihi to Tauranga programme business

case was supported by the NZ Transport Agency

Board in 2016 (Board Paper 2016/04/1009). The

recommended programme was made up of

three parts:

• a new offline section (Tauranga Northern

Link) from Te Puna to Tauranga

• safety improvements on SH2 from Waihi to

Tauranga

• longer term throughput improvements from

Omokoroa to Te Puna timed for around 2024

The NZ Transport Agency Board supported

implementation of the SH2 Tauranga Northern

Link (Te Puna to Tauranga) project and the

development of single stage business cases for

improvements along State highway 2 between

Waihi and Te Puna.

In 2017 the NZ Transport Agency Board

supported investigating combined safety and

capacity improvement options between Omokoroa and Te Puna - including a bypass of Katikati as part of the

programme which was then followed in October 2017 (Board Paper 2017/10/1186) with endorsement of

recommended options for the three projects set out below.

Current Waihi to Omokoroa preferred option

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SH2 - current scope and funding decisions

Project Preferred Option Estimated total

implementation

cost

($m, 2017) (5%ile –

95th %ile)

Approved next phases Phase funding

approved ($m)

Profile

Waihi to Omokoroa

(excluding Katikati

Urban)

Option 3 – Wide centreline/side barrier treatments

and intersection upgrades along relevant sections

of State Highway 2 between Waihi and

Omokoroa

$101

($81-$131)

Pre-implementation $7.51 High strategic fit

High

effectiveness

BCR 1.0

Implementation $101.2

Property $1.01

Katikati Urban Option 5 – High speed (100kph) two-lane bypass

of Katikati and short-term reliability interventions

linked to Town Centre Action Plan and consistent

with State highway revocation

$77

($65-$88)

Pre-implementation

(as an exception)

$7.86 Medium

strategic fit

Medium

effectiveness

BCR 2.5

Property

(as an exception)

$16.06

Omokoroa to Te

Puna

Option D – An seven kilometre section of offline,

regional four-lane State highway with a grade

separated interchange at Omokoroa Road to

serve the growing community of Omokoroa, plus

two local road overbridges at the intersections

with Plummers Point Road and Snodgrass Road

$344

($269-$452)

Pre-implementation $24.10 High strategic fit

High

effectiveness

BCR 1.3

Property $74.42

Tauranga Northern

Link

Off-line 4-lane expressway $424 (updated

estimate)

($394-$469)

Implementation (including

property)

$286 High strategic fit

High

effectiveness

BCR 2.0

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The expected outcomes of the above

on the problems identified on the SH2

Waihi to Tauranga corridor are:

• Reducing death and serious injuries

by 50% over the next 10 years

• Reducing the predictive crash risk of

the Waihi to Tauranga corridor by

improving the KiwiRAP rating from 2

to 3 star over the next 10 years

• Increasing people throughput by 10% (from 21,000 people per day to 23,000) by 2025

• Increasing journey predictability by 50% (from ±4 minutes to ±2 minutes) by 2025


Unlike SH2, the work on SH29 Western Corridor is less advanced with the project currently in the process of

being progressed as a detailed business case following Board support of the programme business case in

October 2017.

The Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty sub-region is experiencing high population growth with a

forecast dwelling shortfall of 20,000-28,000 in the next 50 years. The suburb of Tauriko is located in the Western

Corridor of Tauranga. It is an identified growth area within the SmartGrowth Strategy (50 year vision). The

Western growth area is expected to provide up to 18,500 dwellings in SmartGrowth’s long term horizon with

350 hectares of industrial land and 44,000m2 net leasable retail area.

Structure planning has commenced which requires an integrated approach to land use and transport

planning to ensure that the transport system can support future development of the growth area. The

SmartGrowth partners have an ongoing collaborative approach to enable joint consultation and statutory

processes.

The investment objectives for the programme business case were:

Current Katikati Urban preferred option

Current Omokoroa to Te Puna preferred option

Current Tauranga Northern Link preferred option

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• To maintain a freight travel time of 10 minutes on SH29 from SH2 to Omanawa Road with a variability of 3

minute (AM Peak) by 2030

• Maintain a people travel time of 6 minutes on SH36 from Merrick Rd to Tauriko by 2030 (AM Peak) and

maintain a people travel time of 5 minutes on SH29A from Tauriko to Oropi by 2030 (PM)

• Limit the number of local trips generated from the Tauriko Growth Area that require access to the SH

network

• To reduce deaths and serious injuries along SH29 from Omanawa Road to Oropi Road Roundabout by 50%

by 2030.

The recommended programme (local ring road, public transport with State highway improvements) supports

growth in the Western Corridor and protects the function of the national freight corridor with implementation

requiring staged and multi-party investment in local roads, state highway, walking and cycling and public

transport.

Western Corridor Recommended Programme

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Overview of re-evaluation findings

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga

Problems to be addressed & investment objectives


undertaken and concluded that there is an urgent need to address the significant safety issues in the SH2

corridor between Waihi and Tauranga with particular emphasis needing to be given to the section between

Katikati, Omokoroa and Te Puna.

SH2 Waihi to Tauranga safety evidence

Len

gth

km

Da

ily t

raff

ic (

201

5)

DSIs

(201

3-2

017

)

Fa

tal a

nd

se

rio

us

cra

she

s (2

01

3-2

017

)

Pe

rso

na

l risk

(5y

)

Co

lle

ctiv

e r

isk

(5

y)

Ra

nk

of

av

era

ge

an

nu

al d

si b

ase

d

up

on

la

st 5

ye

ars

pe

r k

m

Kiw

iRA

P s

tar

ratin

g

Clo

sure

s >

3 h

ou

rs

du

e t

o c

rash

es

Clo

sure

s >

3 n

on

-

cra

sh r

ela

ted

Wahi to

Katikati

22.4 9111 17 10 Low Medium-

high

4 (rural) mainly 3 star

with some 2 star

0 2

Katikati

Urban

2.9 11,672 3 3 Medium High 3 (urban) mainly 3

star with some 2 star

1 1

Katikati –

Omokoroa

17.4 12,025 25 13 Low-

medium

High 2 (rural) mainly 3 star

with some 2 star

5 0

Omokoroa

- Te Puna

7 19,013 26 15 Medium High 1 (rural) mainly 3 star

with some 2 star

4 0

Te Puna -

Bethlehem

4.1 20,540 3 2 Low Medium-

high

5 (urban) mainly 3


0 1

Bethlehem

– 15th Ave

4.4 31,728 3 3 Low Medium-

high

6 (urban) mainly 3


1 0

Additional outcomes

Secondary outcomes pursued to date in the SH2 Waihi to Tauranga corridor have been focussed on

improving resilience and increasing people throughput and providing for small improvements in journey time

predictability (from ±4 minutes to ±2 minutes). Katikati urban improvements have centred around enabling

urban amenity, local access and journey reliability. These issues remain albeit, the significance of the issue

now and foreseeable future is not considered a medium or high priority when considered against results

alignment criteria set in the NZ Transport Agency’s Investment Assessment Framework.

Within the current policy setting, journey predictability benefits of the scale proposed for the corridor could not

be considered a priority for investment. Whilst improving people throughput remains a priority within the

corridor, given land-use changes in the corridor, previous work appears to have been bias towards providing

capacity for general traffic as opposed to exploring opportunities for reducing single-occupancy vehicles and

providing enhanced transport choice. The issues previously identified, whilst of concern to the local

community, are not out of context for a community of its size and a bypass solution cannot be reasonably

justified at this time to address the scale of amenity and access issues.

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Integrated land use and transport planning & mode neutrality

The settlement at Omokora has been identified since the

early 1990’s when Western Bay of Plenty Council and the NZ

Transport Agency’s predecessor organisations worked

together to collaboratively develop a structure plan in

tandem with identifying designations and state highway

infrastructure programmes to support growth.

In approximately 40 years the Omokoroa Peninsula should

be fully developed and expected to 12,000. The NZ

Transport Agency has worked with Western Bay of Plenty

District Council in the past to ensure that planning decisions

made today are well considered to ensure that all current

and future residents have good liveability.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is in the next stages of

planning for the next phase of Omokoroa’s development –

the area between the railway line and State Highway 2 -

includes finalising options for a commercial/retail centre,

including a new town centre (3-4 hectares) near SH2,

industrial land and active reserves. The Ministry of Education is also currently purchasing land to align with

Councils plans and is expected to construct both primary and secondary schools in 2026.

The current preferred option for SH2 investment between Omokoroa and Tauranga is focussed on improving

state highway capacity with additional 4-lanes proposed in addition to the existing state highway. Whilst there

have been long-standing plans for infrastructure provision to support the development of Omokoroa, within

the current policy environment, it is recommended that greater weight be given to safer speeds, demand

management, supporting public transport (including working with Western Bay of Plenty District Council to

confirm options for park and ride as part of the current plan change process) and consideration of rail. It is

noted that the Bay of Plenty Regional Council is proposing a rail study within the 2018 NLTP period which the

NZ Transport Agency may need to see accelerated to inform future options for travel choice within the SH2

transport corridor.

Prior to implementing an option, the NZ Transport Agency should continue to work with Western Bay of Plenty

to bring forward an integrated package of measures which supports housing growth and land use but which

provides for greater choice and wider social outcomes. Long-term transport system thinking is essential to

ensuring that Omokoroa can continue to be a sustainable great place to live and work into the future.

Where the proposed Tauranga Northern Link (TNL) joins SH29 and the local road network at 15th Avenue and

Elizabeth Street there is a lack of appropriate operational planning to define a network hierarchy and

functional priority for the network. Developing an operation pla which supports the goals of the City and the

NZ Transport Agency in giving effect to the Tauranga Transport Programme aim of reduced single-occupancy

vehicles is necessary before construction of the TNL starts.

SH29 – Western Corridor

Problems to be addressed & investment objectives


undertaken and concluded that supporting growth within the Western Corridor and addressing safety are

higher priorities than improved freight access. Further, there is little specific evidence that congestion or

increased unreliability on this section of SH29 within the context of a whole journey would have a tangible

economic impact on freight, although as a national (high volume) route a reliable level of service should be

maintained, albeit with a lower order priority.

Omokoroa – Plan change review area

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Integrated land use and transport planning & mode neutrality

The SH29-Western Corridor project is being taken forward as an integrated land-use and transport project from

conception with close collaborative working across the project partners including the Bay of Plenty Regional

Council, and Western Bay District Council.

In addition, to the transport planning objectives, a wider land-use integration approach has been which seeks

broader outcomes including:

• providing infrastructure and communities that are resilient to natural hazards (especially flood risk)

• land use that respects the landscape and cultural values of the Wairoa River

• Providing travel choice and opportunities for trip containment by providing accessible local services and

facilities including retail (at Tauranga Crossing), employment opportunities (Tauriko Business Estate),

education medical and community facilities including reserves, sports fields, indoor courts, aquatic, library

and a community centre

• Multi-modal travel outcomes, aligned to the Tauranga Transport Programme goal of achieving 20% of

journeys to work by public transport and active modes by 2031 against a current baseline of 9%.

As for the SH2 corridor, however, the scope of the DBC has not explored the wider network integration with the

strategic network – both State Highway or proposed public transport aspirations. There are known

downstream effects on Takatimu Drive as a result of growth at Tauriko West and capacity enhancements with

the implementation of the TNL project which have had assumed solutions put in place ‘to make the network

modelling work’. The solutions have not, however, been considered in a system sense. This places the NZ

Transport Agency and stakeholders at risk of developing a system solution for Tauriko West without fully

understanding the wider system integration opportunities or issues.

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Proposed direction & programme

The re-evaluation has examined the optioneering process which has been undertaken with regard to

improving the State Highway network which has been extensive. With respect to the current investment

strategy the key consideration has been to consider:

1. to what degree the current state highway improvement options address safety versus providing for

capacity and whether the utilisation of that capacity has been considered within the context of demand

management and providing choice; and

2. whether alternatives to state highway improvements have been adequately considered, and if not, could

alternative approaches reasonably be considered to potentially contribute to the objectives of the

corridor or wider social and economic outcomes.

The conclusions and recommendations for each section of the corridor are presented in the table below.

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SH2 Findings and Recommendations

Current preferred Option Re-evaluation finding Re-evaluation recommendation

Waihi to Omokoroa (excluding Katikati Urban)

Option 3 – Wide

centreline/side barrier

treatments and

intersection upgrades

along relevant sections of

State Highway 2 between

Waihi and Omokoroa

This corridor has the most significant crash record. Whilst a higher cost

(additional $100m) median barrier option for the full length option has been

considered, it is difficult to implement in practice due to multiple accesses

and the need for turnaround areas and has a reduced level of crash

reduction relative to the additional investment.

Investment approval given to date of $101 million

• Option 3 should be implemented with urgency

• The project team should continue to identify and

propose partial sections of corridor where median

barriers could be implemented effectively and provide

value for money

• The speed enforcement regime should be reviewed

with police, including consideration of point-to-point

cameras. This will be necessary to support a speed

management approach that need to be applied

Katikati Urban

Option 5 – High speed

(100kph) two-lane bypass

of Katikati and short-term

reliability interventions

linked to Town Centre

Action Plan and

consistent with State

highway revocation

The scale of issues through Katikati do not warrant bypass at this time.

Reductions in travel time reliability service levels are low with respect to the

NZ Transport Agency’s results alignment crieteria in the IAF.

During events and peak holiday days alternative traffic management

arrangements should be considered.

• Option 5 should remain the long-term preferred option

but pre-implementation and implementation should be

deferred.

• Property sales should be monitored in the area to

acquire land necessary for Option 5 as and when it

becomes available

• Low cost, low risk measures should be examined for

online improvements which improve amenity including

traffic signals at SH2/Beach Road and SH2/Marshall

Street

Omokoroa to Te Puna

Option D – An seven

kilometre section of

offline, regional four-lane

State highway with a

grade separated

interchange at

Omokoroa Road to serve

the growing community

of Omokoroa, plus two

local road overbridges at

the intersections with

Whilst there is a significant crash risk within the Omokoroa to Te Puna

corridor there is no clear justification for an off-line four lane highway within

the current policy setting.

Four options were considered for this section (ref. Appendix A) ranging from

2-lanes online with median barriers and at grade intersections at $125m-

$165m to the current preferred four laned, grade separated $344m option.

The current preferred option represents a tripling of capacity (none of

which has been prioritised) but offers no additional safety benefits over and

above the lowest cost option.

• Support for the current preferred option D should be

withdrawn. The options analysis should be revisited with

a focus on safety, value for money and appropriate

capacity to support sustainable growth, in particularly,

non-single occupancy vehicles and public transport.

The scope should include adopting an 80kph speed

environment, with at grade interchanges, and a

principle of online where it presents best value for

money.

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Plummers Point Road and

Snodgrass Road

Whilst some additional capacity is warranted it needs to be considered

within the context of providing mode choice and supporting a move from

single-occupancy vehicles.

Whilst there would be significant implementability risks and customer

impacts with an online option these should be re-considered further against

the current policy settings and value for money.

The region will be implementing its PT Blueprint from December 2018 which

will significantly increase PT services in the Omokoroa to Tauranga corridor,

however this will still be limited to four return trips per day which is unlikely to

be competitive with the private vehicle. Subject to budgets, Bay of Plenty

Regional Council aspires to provide an hourly service from 2019.

Whilst rail has not been seriously considered in transport planning to date,

despite the location of rail within the Omokoroa development, the Regional

Council has budgeted for a regional rapid transit study within the current

NLTP period.

• Given the significant crash risk in the corridor short term

investment (with a return period of ten years) should be

invested in the corridor to improve safety in the short to

medium term.

• With Bay of Plenty Regional Council, accelerate a

review of regional Rapid Transport (including rail)

• With Western Bay of Plenty District Council support the

investigation and development of options (including

Park and Ride) which support non-single occupancy

trips from Omokoroa.

Tauranga Northern Link (TNL)

Off-line 4-lane expressway The level of side friction between Te Puna and 15th Avenue coupled with

the levels of demand makes an online upgrade unfeasible, and therefore

an off-line alignment is considered appropriate.

However, further work is required on the utilisation of that capacity with

regard to providing choice and mode shift away from single-occupancy

vehicles.

How the wider transport system is used, the role of the adjoining strategic

network and priority of users to and within Tauranga City is critical to

achieving the GPS priorities. Presently, there is no clearly agreed

operational framework, capacity utilisation strategy, or wider investment

programme (including PT services, priority, travel demand management,

tolling) which demonstrates how the GPS priorities or Tauranga’s Transport

Programme are going to be achieved from investment in TNL. Until such

time as that is clear and the wider co-investment programme is understood

implementation of TNL should be deferred.

• Support TNL as the preferred alignment for linking Te

Puna to the City, with a multi-modal approach applied

to manage additional lane capacity

• Defer implementation of TNL until partners have an

agreed programme of co-investment which

demonstrates how the GPS priorities and outcomes

sought from the Tauranga Transport Programme are

going to be achieved within the context of the Northern

Corridor, City access and linkages to the Port and SH29.

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SH29 – Western Corridor

Multi-modal investment

including public transport,

walking and cycling and

travel demand

management in addition

to state highway

investment to address

safety and provide

appropriate access to

support Growth.

The project is in the early stages of development of a single stage DBC. The

approach taken has been multi-modal and collaborative and the

objectives have been refocussed to support growth.

The project is an important element of a collaborative partnership essential

to meet Tauranga’s obligations under the NPS-UDC

Whilst initially skewed towards a focus on SH infrastructure the DBC has

refocused to take a system approach – there is evidence of a robust

consideration of TDM as well as early conversations about the role of

technology at a sub-regional level

Timing pressures are significant with a narrow window to secure good public

transport and walking/cycling options as surrounding land use

development is progressing at a pace.

• The DBC be progressed to the long-listing to short listing

process with a hold point to test the short list with the NZ

Transport Agency prior to public consultation;

• Partners seek greater collaboration with developers of

Tauriko West and Tauranga Business Estate to seek

broader by-in and co-investment with the private sector

in a transport system solution.

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Programme, costs & outcomes

The table below outlines the proposed programme of work, timescales and current estimate of costs and key

benefits. In addition, an assessment of the proposals against the Government’s recently published Outcomes

Framework is presented. The framework states that the purpose of the transport system is to “improve people’s

wellbeing and liveability of places”. The Framework gives broad direction about how the transport system can

achieve this, by contributing to five inter-related outcomes as shown.

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Activity Timing Key Benefits Cost

($m)

A transport system that improves

wellbeing and liveability

Sh

ort

(20

18

-21

)

Me

diu

m (

202

1-2

7)

Lon

g (

2028

+)

Inc

lusi

ve

ac

ce

ss

He

alth

y &

sa

fe

pe

op

le

Ec

on

om

ic p

rosp

erity

Re

silie

nc

e &

se

cu

rity

En

viro

nm

en

tal

sust

ain

ab

ility

Land-Use & Transport Integration

Work with Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of

Plenty Regional Council to support enhanced transport

system outcomes in the subsequent stages of development of

Omokoroa (linked to the PT plan below)

✓ • Optimises land-use/transport

integration

• Increased liveability

• Supports mode shift & travel choice

• Reduces single occupancy vehicles

$3-5m

PBC/DBC

Imp

unknown

H M H L M

Work with Tauranga City Council and Bay of Plenty Regional

Council to develop a transport system operating strategy and

investment programme for the Northern Corridor which

demonstrates how the GPS priorities and Tauranga Transport

Programme (TTP) goals will be achieved by investment in TNL.

To include:

• A network operating plan aligned to the TTP

• PT improvements plan (services and infrastructure)

• Implementation programme and co-investment plan

✓

Implement the findings of the above work ✓ ✓

Public Transport Investment

Develop an PT improvements plan following exploring the

potential for enhancing public transport choices in the SH2

corridor. Items to consider include:

• options for enhanced PT services

• capacity utilisation within the SH2 corridor

• Park and ride in the SH2 corridor

• Rapid transit (including rail) development

✓ • Supports mode shift & travel choice


$3-5m

PBC/DBC

Imp

unknown

H M M L M

Implement the findings of the PT improvements plan ✓ ✓

System Interventions

Speed management & enforcement ✓ • DSI reduction (included in online

safety benefits)

unknown L VH L L L

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($m)



Sh

ort

(20

18

-21

)

Me

diu

m (

202

1-2

7)

Lon

g (

2028

+)

Inc

lusi

ve

ac

ce

ss

He

alth

y &

sa

fe

pe

op

le

Ec

on

om

ic p

rosp

erity

Re

silie

nc

e &

se

cu

rity

En

viro

nm

en

tal

sust

ain

ab

ility

SH Investment

Undertake online safety improvements and speed

management ~$50-150m

✓ ✓ • 5-10 DSI savings per 5 years 50-150 L H M M L

Waihi to Omokoroa

• Current Option 3 should be implemented with urgency

• The project team should continue to identify and propose

partial sections of corridor where median barriers could

be implemented effectively and provide value for money

• The speed enforcement regime should be reviewed with

police, including consideration of point-to-point.

✓ ✓

✓

• Reduction in five year deaths or

serious injuries by 23

• Increase in KiwiRap safety rating from

2 to 3.5

$81-$131 L VH M M L

Katikati Urban

• Property sales should be monitored in the area to acquire

land necessary for Option 5 as and when it becomes

available

• Low cost low risk measures should be examined for online

improvements which improve amenity including traffic

signals at SH2/Beach Road and SH2/Marshall Street

• Develop a peak period/event operations plan

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

• Improved amenity $16.06 –

property

as

required

$1-$5

L L L L L

Omokoroa to Te Puna

• Single stage business case for a revised option focussing

on safety, value for money and appropriate capacity to

support sustainable growth, in particularly, non-single

occupancy vehicles and public transport. The scope

should include adopting an 80kph speed environment, at

grade interchanges and the principal of online where it

presents best value for money.

• Pre-implementation, implementation and property

• Given the significant crash risk in the corridor short term

investment (with a return period of ten years) should be

invested in the corridor to improve safety in the short to

medium term.

✓

✓

✓ ✓

✓

• improved safety & choice

$150-

$250m

TBC

M VH M M L

Tauranga Northern Link

• Continue with property purchase

✓

✓

• improved safety & choice $424

plus

outcomes

from

M H M M L

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($m)



Sh

ort

(20

18

-21

)

Me

diu

m (

202

1-2

7)

Lon

g (

2028

+)

Inc

lusi

ve

ac

ce

ss

He

alth

y &

sa

fe

pe

op

le

Ec

on

om

ic p

rosp

erity

Re

silie

nc

e &

se

cu

rity

En

viro

nm

en

tal

sust

ain

ab

ility

• On the basis of the system planning undertaken by TCC,

NZTA and BOPRC recommence the pre-implementation

including specimen design

• Implementation

✓

✓

system

planning


• Complete DBC

✓ • Optimise land-use/ transport

integration

• Increased liveability

• Supports mode shift & travel choice


$2m H H M L M

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Appendix 1 – Omokoroa to Te Puna Options

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Documents

SH2 Waihī to Tauranga Corridor and Western Corridor ... · Due to the early stage of the business case development, the approach taken has been revised to be multi-modal and collaborative