New Zealand State Highway 29

State Highway 29
Route information
Maintained by New Zealand Transport Agency
Length: 53.7 km (33.4 mi)
Major junctions
Northeast end: SH 2 at Tauranga
Southwest end: SH 1 at Piarere
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Tauranga, Te Poi, Hinuera
Highway system
← SH 28SH 30 →

State Highway 29 (SH 29) is a New Zealand State Highway that travels over the Kaimai Ranges linking the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. For most of its length, SH 29 is a two-lane single carriageway with occasional passing lanes and slow vehicle bays. 5 km of it near its eastern terminus is part of the Takitimu Drive Toll Road.[1]

Route

SH 29 begins at SH 2 at a grade separated intersection at which only westbound SH 2 traffic can enter and eastbound traffic can exit. Immediately after it commences, SH 29 becomes the Takitimu Drive (Pyes Pa - Mount Maunganui Expressway) Toll Road. Before the eastern terminus was shifted to this route it was better known as 'Route K'. At the end of this tolled section, SH 29 reaches a roundabout intersecting the former eastern section (now SH 29A) and SH 36. SH 29 turns west through the village of Tauriko. From here SH 29 roughly follows the Wairoa River as it climbs the Kaimai Ranges.

About a quarter of the way up the Kaimai's, SH 29 passes the Ruahihi Power Station and crosses the Wairoa River. About half way up the Kaimais, the highway travels through the small village of Lower Kaimai. Once at the Kaimai Summit, SH 29 descends steeply to the Waikato Region. After passing a junction with SH 28, SH 29 reaches a T-Junction with SH 24. Due to the layout of the junction, traffic wishing to stay on SH 29 must turn at this junction. 4 km after the junction, SH 29 reaches the village of Te Poi. SH 29 crosses SH 27 at a staggered T-Junction before entering the village of Hinuera. SH 29 then runs through the Hinuera Gap, which the Waikato River used to flow through until volcanic debris altered its course 20,000 years ago.[2] SH 29 terminates at a T-Junction with SH 1 near Piarere.

The Kaimai Range, which State Highway 29 traverses.

History

During the 1890s it was decided that a formed road was needed to link Tauranga with the Waikato region. Two potential routes were suggested, both following the course of unformed tracks; these being the Kaimai Track and the Thompson's Track. At the time, there was much debate about which route should be chosen,[3] but ultimately the Kaimai Route was selected.[4]

The first journey in a car over the Kaimai Road was made on 6 December 1912; the journey from Tauranga to Cambridge took 3 and a half hours.[5] Throughout the 1920s, the road was metaled, with work starting at each end of the road, and working towards the summit. [6]

During 1939, a 3 miles (4.8 km) deviation was constructed on the eastern side of the summit. It replaced a narrow section of road with dozens of corners.[7] The old alignment is now called Old Kaimai Road.

Originally, the Kaimai Road (then called Cambridge Road) connected with Waihi Road in the suburb of Brookfield. Traffic would then travel down Waihi Road to the town centre. Around the 1950s, the existing road from Tauriko to Greerton was upgraded, and a new stretch of road was built from Barkes Corner to Maungatapu. SH 29 now follows this route through Tauranga's southern suburbs. When this road opened, there was only one roundabout on it; at Barkes Corner. Since then, 5 more roundabouts have been added, bringing the total number to 6.[8]

From the time the Maungatapu Bridge opened, until the 1980s, SH 29 (running concurrently with SH 2) ran through the suburb of Maungatapu on Maungatapu Road. Since the 1980s, SH 29 has run through Maungatapu as a limited access road, with a grade separated junction. As part of this work, a roundabout was constrcuted at Maungatapu, replacing a T-Junction. Around the same time the T-Junction at Te Maunga was replaced with a roundabout.

In December 2008, the Maungatapu and Welcome Bay roundabouts were signalised in response to rising levels of congestion. The roundabouts became the first in New Zealand to be permanently signalised,[9] and have been widely considered to be successful at easing congestion.[10]

Prior to 2009, when SH 2 ran via the Maungatapu Bridge instead of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge; SH 29 ran concurrently with SH 2 to Te Maunga, then ran along Maunganui Road and Hewletts Road, before terminating just before the Harbour Bridge. SH 2 now travels via the Harbour Bridge, Hewletts Road, and Maunganui Road to Te Maunga, and SH 29 was truncated to Te Maunga.

In August 2015, Route K became part of the New Zealand State Highway Network. Formerly administered by the Tauranga City Council, NZTA took over administration in conjunction with the newly commissioned electronic toll gantry, replacing the existing toll booths. SH 29 now follows this route forming a new link from the south-west to the city and port of Tauranga. The existing route east of the SH 36/Route K roundabout to Te Maunga became a new designation of SH 29A.[11]

Spurs

State Highway 29A
Location: SH 2 at Te Maunga – SH 29/SH 36 at The Lakes
Length: 13.5 km (8.4 mi)

SH 29A was gazetted in 2015 and covers the former section of SH 29 east of the roundabout with SH 36/Route K. SH 29 starts at a roundabout interchange with SH 2. The highway crosses the East Coast Main Trunk Railway and passes Baypark Stadium. From here, SH 29 becomes a four lane dual carriageway until it crosses the Maungatapu Bridge, which crosses Rangataua Bay. The highway travels in a wide cutting through Maungatapu, and Taipari Street crosses it on a bridge. Then SH 29 turns at the signalised roundabout at Maungatapu, so traffic wishing to stay on the highway must turn either left or right depending on their direction of travel. It then travels straight across the signalised roundabout at Welcome Bay, before travelling through four roundabouts within 5 km, eventually terminating with SH 29.

Future

During 2010 and 2011, NZTA investigated the possibility of realigning the section of SH 29 between Soldiers Road and Ngamuwahine Road, in order to improve safety. If constructed, the alignment is estimated to cost around $6 million.

Between 2010 and 2012, NZTA investigated the possibility of improving SH 29 between Omanawa Road and the SH 36/Route K roundabout. Three options were investigated. All of them involve turning that section of road into a limited access highway with grade separated junctions. A number of reasons were given by the NZTA for why improvements were needed. These included the high crash rate, high traffic volumes, and concerns over ground stability.[12]

Major junctions

Territorial authority Location km jct Destinations Notes
Tauranga City Tauranga South SH 2 north (Takitimu Drive) – City Centre, Mount Maunganui, Whakatane SH 29 begins
Fifteenth Avenue – Maungatapu, Welcome Bay Former SH 2A.
Eastbound exit only, right-hand exit
The Lakes Toll point: cars/motorcycles $1.80, heavy vehicles $4.80
14 SH 29A – Greerton, Mount Maunganui
SH 36 – Rotorua
Tauriko 15 Cambridge Road – Bethlehem, Auckland ()
Western Bay of Plenty District Lower Kaimai 24 McLarens Falls Road
Matamata-Piako District Te Omeka 42 SH 28 – Rotorua, Putaruru
43 SH 24 – Matamata Turn left to stay on SH 29. Straight ahead for SH 24
Te Poi 47 Te Poi Road (north) – Matamata
Te Poi South Road – Rotorua
Hinuera 54 SH 27 south – Tirau, Rotorua Staggered T-Junction
SH 27 north – Matamata, Coromandel Peninsula
Piarere 67 SH 1 south – Rotorua, Taupo
SH 1 north – Cambridge, Hamilton		 SH 29 ends

SH 29A

Territorial authority Location km jct Destinations Notes
Tauranga City Te Maunga 0 SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway east
Te Puke, Rotorua, Whakatane		 SH 29A begins
SH 2/Pacific Coast Highway north
Tauranga, Mount Maunganui
0.2 Truman Road
Baypark Stadium
Maungatapu 5 Maungatapu Road
Maungatapu		 Eastbound entrance only
6 Taipari Road
Maungatapu		 Grade Separated
Westbound exit only
7
Turret Road. Formerly SH 2A
Tauranga CBD, Waihi		 Signalised Roundabout
Maungatapu Road
Maungatapu
Hairini 8
Hairini Street
Hairini, Tauranga CBD		 Signalised Roundabout
Welcome Bay Road
Welcome Bay, Ohauiti
Ohauiti 10 Poike Road (east)
Ohauiti
Poike Road (west)
Windermere, BOP Polytechnic
Greerton 11 Oropi Road (north)
Greerton, Tauranga CBD
Oropi Road (south)
Oropi
Barkes Corner 12 Cameron Road
Greerton, Tauranga CBD
Pyes Pa Road
Pyes Pa, Rotorua
Marshall Avenue
The Lakes 14 SH 29 (Takitimu Drive/ Route K) north
Tauranga CBD, Mount Maunganui		 SH 29A ends
SH 29 west
Hamilton
SH 36
Rotorua

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Where the toll roads are". NZTA.govt.nz.
  2. ↑ http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-region/2
  3. ↑ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH18940530.2.80&srpos=96&e=-------10--91-byDA---0kaimai+road+formed--
  4. ↑ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=BOPT19060718.2.6&srpos=165&e=-------10--161-byDA---0kaimai+route--
  5. ↑ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=BOPT19121209.2.16&srpos=8&e=-------10--1----0kaimai+road--
  6. ↑ startinghttp://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19280306.2.146.3&srpos=7&e=-------10--1----0kaimai+road--
  7. ↑ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=BPB19390807.2.29&srpos=10&e=-------10--1----0kaimai+road--
  8. ↑ Street Map of Tauranga (Map) (3rd ed.). 1 in 20,000. Departments of Land and Survey, New Zealand. 1986. Check date values in: |access-date= (help);
  9. ↑ http://www.acenz.org.nz/UploadedDocs/INNOVATE_NZ_/2010/Citations/2010_INNOVATE_SH229_Hairini.pdf
  10. ↑ http://www.jctconsultancy.co.uk/Home/docs/Rotora%20Paper%20B%20Chard_011009-SMALL.pdf
  11. ↑ "New electronic toll for Tauranga's Route K". NZHerald.co.nz.
  12. ↑ "SH29 Tauriko upgrade". NZTA.govt.nz.
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