The project will connect Tauranga and Ōmokoroa with a new 14-kilometre link between State Highway 29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road and State Highway 2 Ōmokoroa intersection.
Takitimu North Link will be constructed in two phases:
- Stage One: previously known as Tauranga Northern Link, this stage will be the connection between SH29 and SH2 near Te Puna, and
- Stage Two: the connection between SH2 Te Puna and Ōmokoroa (deferred in June 2021 - Waka Kotahi noted that it is unlikely that construction will begin in the next 10 years.)
The Takitimu North Link is part of the NZ Government’s New Zealand Upgrade Program (NZUP).
Key Dates
| Jan 2020 | Project Announcement |
| Dec 2021 | Construction Commencement |
Funding contributions
| NZ Government |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency |
| Successful Tenderer: | A Fulton Hogan and HEB Joint Venture |
PROJECT HISTORY
| 2016 | Property purchases, consents, design, tolling feasibility and revocation planning for the project commenced. |
| Apr 2016 | Original construction funding for the Tauranga Northern Link ( Stage One of the now Takitimu North Link) was granted in April 2016 as part of the NZ$520 million Waihi to Tauranga Corridor Programme. |
| Aug 2017 | Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) called for Registration of Interest (ROI) for the project's original design and construct contract in August 2017. |
| Jan 2018 | Following the release of the 2018 Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport and the Draft Transport Agency Investment Proposal (TAIP), NZTA re-evaluated the project to align it with the new priorities set out in the GPS. |
| Aug 2018 | Project re-evaluation was confirmed in the National Land Transport Program (NLTP) 2018-21. |
| Jan 2020 | The New Zealand Government announced NZ$478 million for the Tauranga Northern Link (Stage One of the now Takitimu North Link) project as part of the NZ$12 billion (AU$ 11 billion) New Zealand Upgrade Program. |
| May 2020 | Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency issued an Advanced Notice of Information (NOI) informing that tendering will begin for Stage One in the following months. |
| Aug 2020 | Registrations of Interest (ROI) were called for the design and construction of Stage One, closing on 15 September. ROI noted that Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency reserves the right to extend the scope of the project to include Stage Two. |
| Sep 2020 | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the hapū Treaty partners have formally renamed the two State Highway 2 New Zealand Upgrade Programme projects. Under the renaming and amalgamation, the project previously known as Tauranga Northern Link from State Takitimu Drive Toll Road to Te Puna is now named Stage One of Takitimu North Link. The Stage Two of Takitimu North Link will extend that connection from Te Puna to Ōmokoroa. |
| Oct 2020 | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency released the Request for Tenders for Stage One of the project. It is expected that the design component of the contract will be awarded by March 2021, with construction due to commence by late-2021. |
| Jun 2021 | Following a re-evaluation of the NZUP, Stage Two of the project was 'deferred'. Dual-carriageway route protection and safety improvements were prioritised in the short term. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency stated that Stage Two will not happen in the next three years and is unlikely to occur in the next ten years. |
| Dec 2021 | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency formally awarded the project's construction contract to a Fulton Hogan and HEB Joint Venture. |
| Dec 2021 | Environmental controls and construction began for Stage One. |
| Mar 2023 | Goetechnical testing carried out for Stage Two and ecological, site contamination, and engineering investigations begin. |
Sector
Road
Procurement approach
Alliance |
Unconfirmed |
Location
New Zealand |
Resources
