ArmorZone™ TL-2 Plastic Barriers out in force for Baypark to Bayfair upgrade
Tauranga is a city on the move, literally and figuratively, claiming the title as the top-performing city in New Zealand in 2017 with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 6.6%, beating out Auckland by 1.4 percentage points. With growth comes the need for a safe and effective transport system to provide access to the city’s expanding population and industry, with the NZ Transport Agency’s Baypark to Bayfair Link aiming to do just that.
The project will link Baypark and Bayfair and complete the eastern corridor for the Bay of Plenty.
Stage one of the project saw enabling works begin in October 2015 which included moving the railway line, installing a noise wall along the rail boundary behind the Owens Place retail park, relocating services (gas, power, watermains and sewer), moving houses and constructing retaining walls.
In May 2017 stage two of the project kicked off with CPB Contractors given the task of completing the new link over the following three years, while keeping traffic moving and team’s safe in a very busy part of the city.
CPB Contractors’ Traffic Manager looks after the day-to-day operations of the Bay Link project and maintains the flow of up to 30,000 vehicles per day – which is no easy task.
“Geoff has been in Traffic Management for the past 20 years and worked for several companies in Auckland and during that time we got to know him very well,” says Anthony Upoko, North Island Hire Manager for CSP. “When he contacted me after moving to Tauranga to supply the additional barrier he needed to keep the various work zones on the project safe and keep traffic flowing we were happy to help.”
While CPB Contractors have a large stock of their own temporary steel barriers, they still required the use of CSP’s ArmorZone™ TL-2 Plastic Barrier. “There were about 325 ArmorZone™ barriers on site until recently and they have just upped that to around 600 as they completed stage one and are now undertaking a traffic switch to stage 2, so they can start working on the southern side of the project.”
With at least two more years required to complete the Baypark to Bayfair upgrade Anthony expects to be in contact with the CPB Traffic Management team for a while yet.
About the project Construction of the project involves the building of two flyovers; one will take State Highway 29A over the railway line and the Te Maunga intersection and the second will take State Highway 2 traffic up and over the Maunganui-Girven intersection. As part of the project the existing Maunganui-Girven Road intersection will also be upgraded, the Te Maunga roundabout replaced with an elevated interchange, the Truman Lane roundabout improved, and safer walking and cycling connections provided between Baypark and Bayfair. |