SH29 Ōmanawa bridge replacement

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About the project

• Key features

  Ōmanawa Bridge features

  

  SH29 Ōmanawa Bridge looking from Tauranga towards Hamilton. Artist impression.

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  • Approximately 72m long and 14m wide, placed approximately 20m south of the existing bridge.
  • Approximately 4m higher than the existing bridge. This, along with the realigned road, reduces the steepness of the hill near the SH29/Ōmanawa Road intersection, improving visibility and safety.
  • On the Tauranga side of the bridge, the road will curve more gently enabling the advisory speed limit to increase to 85km/h from the current 65km/h.
  • Designed to handle a 1-in-100 year flood. To do this, it will be built higher and further away from the Wairoa Awa (river) and have fewer support piers so more water can flow during floods and there’s less chance of debris getting stuck.
  • Will be placed on the alignment that fits the future design for Tauriko West, future-proofing this stretch of SH29.
  • Designed for future overweight loads getting to and leaving the Port of Tauranga, supporting future growth and development in the region.

  As bridges age, we need to maintain and manage them more closely to ensure we continue to have a reliable and resilient state highway network. We will continue to monitor the existing bridge as we move through this process.

  Over the years, we have carried out strengthening solutions for the existing bridge to ensure it remains reliable and reaches its intended lifespan (strengthening was last carried out in 2022).

  SH29 Ōmanawa Road intersection

  

  SH29 looking from Hamilton towards Tauranga. Construction from late 2026. Artist impression.

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  As part of the bridge replacement project, we’re making minor upgrades to the Ōmanawa Road and SH29 intersection. This includes realigning the state highway with the new Ōmanawa Bridge, making turning movements safer and improving visibility. In the future, more extensive upgrades are proposed as part of the new SH29 Tauriko West project.

  As part of the minor intersection upgrades we’re:

  • improving visibility over the crest by reducing the slope on the Tauranga side of the intersection
  • widening the SH29 Hamilton-bound shoulder and removing the left-turn slip lane to reduce travel speed and improve visibility at the intersection, and to accommodate the SH29 realignment required for the new bridge
  • laying power lines and relocating fibre cables underground
  • proposing an Intersection Speed Zone which is subject to consultation
  • keeping the SH29 right-turn bay.

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• Project map

  

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• What’s happening now

  Site works begin in September 2025 ahead of construction starting in October.

  Construction will be largely off-line during the initial stages of the project, with only minimal impacts for people using SH29 and Ōmanawa Road.

  There will be some minor changes to the state highway layout and temporary speed restrictions put in place near the existing bridge and on Ōmanawa Road, so site access and off-line works can be managed safely.

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• Funding and costs
  • As a RoNS, SH29 Ōmanawa Bridge replacement is included in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) as a priority project for the Bay of Plenty region.

  Roads of National Significance

  2024-27 National Land Transport Plan summary for the Bay of Plenty [PDF, 305 KB]

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