People will soon drive over the new State Highway 2 Bayfair flyover with the last of the three Bay Link bridges scheduled to open this month.
The new Bayfair flyover will open in a temporary configuration and take traffic over the Bayfair roundabout, making it safer for everyone by separating local and state highway traffic. The traffic switch and work leading up to it are weather dependent.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, Rob Campbell, is looking forward to the flyover opening.
“This long-awaited, last major piece of infrastructure as part of the Bay Link project is a huge milestone for everyone,” Mr Campbell says.
“While there’s a lot of carefully sequenced work that needs to take place from now until opening date, we want people to be aware of the upcoming switch and start thinking about their journey once it’s open.
“Opening the flyover to traffic means significant changes for everyone and will require drivers to make an early selection of the route they will take depending on their destination.
“We’re asking people to ‘stay low for local’ if they wish to access Girven Road, Matapihi Road and local businesses, and to use the new flyover over the roundabout if travelling to and from SH2/TEL, Pāpāmoa, SH29A, Maungatapu, Welcome Bay, the Mount, the port or the city centre.
“The flyover is opening under temporary traffic management and people are asked to take extra care when travelling through the area while everyone gets used to the new layout, especially during morning and evening peak times.
“The opening of the Bayfair flyover is expected to reduce traffic volumes on the lanes around the Bayfair roundabout which means the final phase of road reconstruction works at the roundabout can get underway.
Once the new flyover is open, all road users are encouraged to plan their first journeys through the area before leaving home, allow extra time, share the roads with care and patience, and follow all directions posted on temporary traffic management (including temporary speed limits). The flyover will open with a temporary speed limit of 50km/h, while the current temporary speed limit of 30km/h will continue to apply around the Bayfair roundabout.
People travelling to Mount Maunganui, the port, the city centre, Pāpāmoa/Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) or Maungatapu/SH29A will be able to use the flyover above the roundabout. This will separate state highway from local road users travelling on the lanes around Bayfair roundabout, including those accessing Bayfair Shopping Centre, HomeZone or other local businesses.
People wishing to travel locally to Girven Road, Matapihi Road and local businesses will stay local and use the Bayfair roundabout to access the area.
People travelling from Matapihi Road or Girven Road to Mount Maunganui, the port, the city centre, Pāpāmoa/Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) or Maungatapu/SH29A will continue travelling locally. The roundabout will be reduced to a single lane and there will be single lane closures in place on lanes approaching the roundabout.
While the flyover is one of the last significant pieces of infrastructure to be opened as part of Bay Link, other construction will be ongoing until the project’s completion in late 2023.
All existing roads within the extent of the Bay Link site are being replaced to support heavier, and a higher number of, vehicles. Immediately after the flyover opens, the final phase of road reconstruction at the Bayfair roundabout will get underway. This phase involves reconstructing the ground-level roads leading into and away from the Bayfair roundabout to bring them up to standards required across the project. This will be completed in stages, each requiring traffic layouts that will temporarily change the way people navigate the area.
Lane closures on Maunganui Road are required to create work zones for road reconstruction on all roads leading to and from the roundabout. Temporarily reducing the road to a single lane allows this reconstruction to be completed safely alongside live traffic, and as efficiently and quickly as possible.
The flyover is for vehicles only, and not accessible to people walking and cycling. Once the project is complete, safe walking and cycling connections will be provided at the local road level. In this configuration, there will be no changes to existing routes and the underpass will remain available for people travelling on foot, bikes, scooters, mobility scooters and wheelchairs to and from Matapihi and Arataki.
Waka Kotahi thanks drivers, local residents and businesses for their patience.
