People are asked to avoid the area from 1pm and take the alternative route through Brookfield.
The road will be closed from the SH2 intersection, near the Harbour Bridge, through to Maxwells Road.
Access to Bay Central Shopping Centre will be via Pitt Street, off Marsh Street.
The operation is expected to take several hours. Updates on timings will be provided as more detail becomes available, please refer to Tauranga City Council’s Facebook page.