It replaced a section of State Highway 2, improving access to Tauranga from the east (Te Puke, Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki, Gisborne) and south (Rotorua and Taupō).

Construction of the Tauranga Eastern Link officially started on 19 November 2010[1] and was due for completion in 2016, however construction ran six months ahead of schedule and the project was officially opened in late July 2015.

At this point the highway crosses the river on a 150-metre-long (490 ft) bridge and runs past the Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve.

It then heads south east across dairy farms and orchards before crossing the railway line and terminating at a roundabout, intersecting SH 33, north of Paengaroa.

Since official opening in August 2015, the Tauranga Eastern Link has been a tolled highway.