Tauranga’s Baypark to Bayfair Link project to include new underpass

By: Zoe HunterZoe is a reporter at the Bay of Plenty Timeszoe.hunter@nzme.co.nz@ Bay_Times

The Baypark to Bayfair Link project will now include a new separated pedestrian and cycle underpass at the Bayfair roundabout.

The NZ Transport Agency has announced the Baypark to Bayfair Link project will provide two options for people walking or cycling to cross the state highway once complete.

People can use the new underpass connecting Matapihi Rd and Bayfair Shopping Centre or cross at ground level through the centre of the new Bayfair roundabout using the pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights.

The initial cost for the underpass was estimated to be $13 million, with the final cost to be determined once the detailed design is complete. Tauranga City Council will also contribute to the underpass.ADVERTISEMENT

NZTA Project Team Manager John McCarthy said a detailed design process needed to be complete before construction of the new underpass begins.

“But we intend to integrate the new underpass with the current project,” he said.

The new underpass will be constructed alongside the old underpass allowing a safe route throughout the project.

Once the underpass is operational the old underpass will be infilled to accommodate the weight of the new Bayfair flyover approach ramps.

The current underpass will be closed permanently as part of the Bay Link project.

McCarthy said, on average more than 500 people used the underpass each day, and the number of cyclists using the underpass in the past seven years has tripled – a trend that was likely to increase.

“Shopping areas on both sides of the state highway at Bayfair and Owens Place are increasing, and higher density residential developments in the area will see more people living in this area and wanting to cross the state highway,” he said.

McCarthy said the new underpass aligned with the wider Tauranga Transport Programme and Tauranga City Council’s Tauranga Cycle Action Plan, seeking to encourage people out of their cars and enable them to make safe and healthy travel choices.

“We are working with city and regional councils and are making good progress on public transport options in this area and the SH2 Maunganui Rd corridor, as part of the Public Transport Blueprint and the Tauranga Transport Plan.”

Tauranga City Council Transport Committee chair Rick Curach acknowledged the dedication of those who campaigned for the underpass to remain.

“It’s reassuring to see decisive action in response to the public voice, and to see the Transport Agency adapting their project to make it safer and easier for more people to travel through this area,” he said.

Cycle advocacy group Bike Tauranga chairman Kevin Kerr was pleased with the news and acknowledged the community in the agency’s decision.

“The community has pushed and pushed to have an underpass option in the Bay Link project, and it’s great that they have been listened to,” he said.

Sustainable Business Network Bay of Plenty regional manager Glen Crowther believed the right decision had been made.

“If you have got something that is working and hundreds of people use it and that number is only going to increase, it seems retrograde to take it away and not replace it,” he said.

Crowther said the new development at Owens Place meant more people would use the underpass to cross the highway to get to Bayfair.

He said it was critical to have a safe way of crossing the road if the main highway for the cycle network would come from Girven Rd and down Mataphi.

“It is going to turn into such a key cycle route,” he said. “It is good to see when these projects are reassessed we end up with a good result for the community.”

Crowther said the waiting game was now on including a bus priority lane.

Mount Maunganui cyclist Jo Wills said the separated pedestrian and cycle underpass was fantastic.

“It is a completely car free path through a really busy roundabout,” she said. “It means our cycle route is continued, which is what we want.”

Wills said she sometimes used the current underpass to get to work from the Mount to Tauranga, while her partner used it every day.

“If the underpass wasn’t there I would not go that way into town,” she said. “It keeps that option opened up for me.”

Facts and figures
– The number of pedestrians, cyclists, mobility and people with prams/pushchairs using the underpass in 2017 has doubled since 2011.
– More than 141,000 pedestrians used the underpass in 2017 – 72 per cent more than the 82,000 in 2011
– The number of cyclists has tripled – from 14,000 in 2011 to 44,000 cyclists in 2017.
– The Baypark to Bayfair Link is designed to separate local and state highway traffic, improving safety and access, and walking and cycling connections
– Key features include the construction of two flyovers and improvements to the SH29A and Truman Lane roundabout, and the Bayfair roundabout.