Control of ETA handed over today

1 July 2015

The East Taupo Arterial (ETA) was today handed over from Taupo District Council to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), to officially become a part of State Highway 1.

In return, the old state highway through central Taupo has been handed over to the council by NZTA, becoming a local road.

The official handover of the 16-kilometre stretch of highway marks the end to one of the largest infrastructure projects this district has seen, Taupo District Mayor David Trewavas said.

Building the ETA has been a huge benefit to the Taupo community by taking a huge volume of traffic, in particular the heavy trucks, away from the centre of town.

This has been a truly collaborative process and to reach this point is a testament to the hard work by both the council and NZTA, he said. In particular I would like acknowledge all the previous mayors and councillors involved with this project throughout the years.

The idea of building a road to bypass Taupo stretches back 60 years, with the project to build the ETA getting official approval in 2003. Construction began in early 2009 and the ETA was opened to traffic in October 2010.

The ETA has been a great success in improving the flow of traffic around Taupō, particularly during peak holiday periods, which means reduced journey times and improved safety, NZTA Highway Manager Kaye Clark said.

The council built and maintained the ETA, with NZTA paying a 76.5 per cent subsidy toward the final cost of construction of $110 million.

END

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lisa Nairne Communications Manager 07 376 0762 027 839 8410

Vicki Waterhouse Communications Advisor 07 376 0718 027 484 2549

Taupo District Council

www.taupo.govt.nz