Vehicle crossings

The vehicle crossing must be designed and constructed to meet Tauranga City Council requirements:

• The crossing must comply with Tauranga City Council’s Infrastructure Development Code (IDC) – drawings T430, T431, and T432. 
• Any replacement footpath must be 1.8m wide (as per IDC drawing T431), rather than matching the width of the existing footpath. This helps reduce future renewal costs for Council if footpaths along the street are upgraded. 
• If a double garage is proposed, the driveway width at the property boundary may be widened to a maximum of 5.5m. 

The crossing must be positioned to maintain safety and provide adequate clearance from other street features:

• At least 1m from streetlights, power poles and road signs. 
• At least 2m from juvenile street trees. For mature trees, approval from a Council arborist is required. 
• At least 1m from stormwater sumps. 
• At least 0.5m from water metres. Water meters must not be located within the crossing. 
• At least 1m from an unmarked kerb ramp. 
• At least 3m from a marked pedestrian crossing. 

The vehicle crossing must be constructed to meet the following requirements:

• Concrete must have a minimum strength of 20MPa. 
• Concrete thickness must be:
  - 120mm for residential vehicle crossings
  - 150mm for commercial or industrial vehicle crossings
• Reinforcing mesh (665 mesh) must be included. 
• The vehicle crossing must include a kerb let-down, backing slab, and smooth transitions to the road and footpath. 
• The footpath must be at least 1.8m wide and constructed with a crossfall of 2%. 

You can design your own vehicle crossing or work with a consultant or contractor to ensure it meets these requirements. 

1. Prepare your application
A site plan must be included with your Vehicle Crossing Service Connection application. The site plan needs to show:

• The location of the vehicle crossing, including at least one dimension to an adjacent property boundary. 
• The width of the vehicle crossing at the kerb, with the width at the footpath, as well as the width of the backing slab. 
• The grades along the vehicle crossing, including the road camber. This confirms the design complies with AS/NZS 2890.1:2004, so vehicles can enter and exit without scraping or bottoming out. 
• Any adjacent Council assets shown in the vehicle crossing compliance requirements above. 

Ensure you are following IDC T430 by including distances from Council assets to the edge of the proposed vehicle crossing and ensure the water meter is not located within the vehicle crossing. 

All public utilities must be protected with suitable cover. If the berm level is lowered, approval from all relevant utility companies is required. 

2. Apply for a service connection. 

There is an important checklist on the service connection application page (see at the bottom of the page under Services applied for: Vehicle crossing). Make sure that you include all the information in the checklist to avoid delays.

Upon receiving your application, we will invoice you for the service connection fee and refundable asset protection bond. Fees vary depending on the vehicle crossing's location. You are welcome to contact us for help to understand what the fees might be for your proposed vehicle crossing.

We will review your application and contact you with any follow up questions. Once we are satidfies with the application, we will provide formal approval.

3. Request corridor access. 
Corridor access is required before any work starts. Once you have received your service connection application approval, we’ll send you the information you need to request corridor access. 

4. Get your contractor to supply a traffic management plan.

Any work that alters the normal operating conditions on the road requires a traffic management plan (TMP). This includes excavating the carriageway/footpath/berm. Your service connection application is seperate and does not depend on having a TMP, but you must still make sure that the contractor, or whoever is doing the work, supplies a TMP for the worksite. The TMP is submitted as part of a corridor access request. Most contractors should be familiar with this process.

5. Work can start.

Please note: make sure you book a pre-pour inspection and ensure 48 hours' notice is given before any concrete is poured. 

6. Book your pre-pour inspection.
Before any concrete is poured, a Council Development Monitoring Advisor must inspect the vehicle crossing to confirm it has been prepped correctly as per the approved plans, including the width, depth requirements and distance from other services.

Phone us on 07 577 7000 to arrange a pre-pour inspection. Make sure you have your SCA application number handy. 

7. Book your final inspection
Once all work is finished, we’ll carry out a final inspection to make sure everything has been completed to Council standards and that all Council assets are in place, such as the water meter, footpath repairs and the berm. To book your final inspection, phone the council on 07 577 7000 and quote your SCA application number.

If applicable, your Asset Protection Bond will be refunded after the final inspection.

Council approval is required for any works that may impact street trees or trees located on Council-owned land. Approval must be obtained from Council's Urban Forest Advisor before works commence.

Where development works are proposed within the vicinity of a street tree, special conditions may be applied to the Service Connection Approval (SCA). These conditions may require the developer to engage a suitably qualified arborist to prepare a Tree Protection Plan and provide recommendations to protect the tree during construction.

Working on or around trees

Where required, tree protection measures must be installed and maintained in accordance with the approved Tree Protection Plan and T204 Tree Protection Specification.

Failure to obtain the necessary approvals or comply with approved tree protection requirements may result in works being deemed unauthorised and may require remediation at the developer's cost.

If your vehicle crossing affects streetlights, you may need to make changes to keep the area safe and well lit.

• Existing streetlights may need to be relocated.
• New streetlighting may be required to maintain safety and visibility.
• All streetlighting work must be approved by Council before any construction begins.

What you need to do

• Apply for a SCA and provide a site plan showing any streetlights that will be affected or proposed.
• Use a Powerco-approved contractor to carry out the work.
• Make sure all work meets Council’s public lighting standards.
• Build the works exactly as approved.

Important:

• Any changes to the approved design must be agreed with Council before construction. 
• A Corridor Access Request (CAR) and traffic management may be required. 
• All costs, including design, approvals, and construction, are the responsibility of the property owner/applicant. 

If you’re subdividing a property or building additional dwellings (such as a granny flat), vehicle crossing requirements are considered as part of the resource consent and building consent application process. 

If a vehicle crossing is constructed without the required Council approval or is not constructed in accordance with the approved plans and Council standards, it may be considered unauthorised. Council may require the vehicle crossing to be modified or removed, with the footpath, berm, and any affected Council assets reinstated at the property owner's expense.

Any changes to an approved vehicle crossing design must be submitted to Council for approval before works proceed.

Important: No works associated with the proposed changes may commence until written Council approval has been received.