A new road layout for traffic heading between Whakatane and Ōpōtiki, as the Government has announced plans to build a new roundabout at the State Highway 2 and Wainui Road intersection.
Construction is due to start next month and will take approximately 12 months to complete.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the roundabout will make a difference to the safe and efficient travel of road users.
Bishop said there were nine crashes at the intersection from 2014 to 2023, with three of them “injury crashes, one of which was serious.”
Bishop said the roundabout's expected to cost around $10 million “from business case through to completion and will complement a raft of improvements already completed in the area, such as road widening, side barrier installation, and line marking.”
Final costs for the roundabout will be confirmed once the contract is awarded this month.
The intersection had been earmarked for a roundabout as far back as 2021, as part of NZTA plans to improve State Highway 2 between Wainui Road and Ōpōtiki.