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SH1 Papakura to Drury

Construction update

1 August 2025



	Site engineer Vincent and Senior Safety Advisor Karol beside one of the three bridges already built over the North Island main trunk (NIMT) railway lines by Drury Interchange. Construction update \| He pānui Kia ora Thanks for the positive feedback received about our monthly newsletter's new format. We will continue to provide a picture-based update of what's been happening across the project over the last month. Do get in touch if you have any queries – our contact details are at the end of this update.



	South of Drury Interchange Last month we completed earthworks in the central median of the motorway, south of Drury Interchange. We are currently building the pavement layers and, once completed, southbound traffic will be shifted onto new lanes in the median to free up the area needed on the eastern side to install upgraded underground utility services and build new pavement for widening and realigning the motorway eastwards.



	Drury Interchange At Drury Interchange, we are working in all four triangles (gores) of the interchange between the motorway and the on and off-ramps. In July, following the closure of the right turn lane from Great South Road onto the southbound on-ramp, we established a new worksite in the southeastern gore between the southbound on-ramp and the southbound motorway lanes. Currently, we are installing underground utility services here. In the northeastern gore, the crew continue to drive sheet piles hard up against the southbound motorway lanes to support them before this triangle area is further excavated. This is needed to install underground utility services (which we've already begun) before we begin to build up, in layers, the subgrade and pavement for the new alignment of the motorway. This area will also be used for building the new SH1 bridge over Great South Road, which will be built 'offline' (away from the existing road). In the northwestern gore, we are installing a new underground watermain. This month we will continue installing the watermain continuing from this gore moving towards Victoria Street. We are also installing underground utility services in a narrow new site on the southern side of Great South Road, wedged hard up against the temporary alignment of the southbound on-ramp.



	SH22 (Great South Road) On SH22, our crew are busy installing new underground services, including wastewater and stormwater pipes. This worksite on the south side of SH22, pictured above, is very tight given the constraints of the Drury northbound off-ramp, SH22 and Mercer Street. Our need to use large plant and equipment in this area means every inch counts! We are also working on this site at night (with lane closures and traffic management in place) in addition to daytime works. This month, we will start installing underground ducts for streetlights and the new traffic lights coming at the intersection of SH22, Victoria Street and Mercer Street. Ahead of the new traffic lights, the timing of which has been affected by wetter than usual winter weather, we are planning to partially reopen Victoria Street onto SH22 with left turn in / left turn out access only, around late September/early October.



	Bremner Road at Ngaakooroa Stream With the temporary steel truss bridge over Ngaakooroa Stream completed last month, we have been installing underground utility services ducts on Bremner Road and Victoria Street. Underground utility services cutovers (from existing to new) and diversions will continue this month. Once this temporary bridge is carrying Bremner Road traffic, expected around November, we will demolish the existing bridge over the stream and then begin building the new permanent bridge.



	Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream Late last month, a barge (see above) was used to extract ground core samples from the Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream streambed where new SH1 bridge piles will be built. Piling works in this area will begin later this year. On the southeastern side of the stream, we are continuing to install ground improvement piles (~500 needed at this site, but ~2800 overall!) and bridge piles for the new SH1 bridge over Slippery Creek.



	North of Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream Last month we began enabling works for the construction of a noisewall on the southbound side of the motorway, north of Slippery Creek. These works included tree and vegetation removal, building a haul road and putting up some temporary boundary fences. In the photo above (looking south), we are building up an earthen platform from which the noisewall will be built. This month, southbound traffic lanes will shift into the central median between the BP motorway service centre and Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream. This shift will enable construction of the third southbound lane on the eastern side.

During the coming months, our project works include:

Continuing with underground service investigations around Drury Interchange, including on the motorway, Great South Road, SH22, Bremner Road, Victoria Street and Mercer Street
Working to realign the Victoria Street intersection with SH22 before installing traffic lights
Continuing with installation of underground services on Victoria Street, north of the Drury Sports Complex carpark
Continuing earthworks either side of Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream in preparation for road widening and bridge building works
Continuing with construction works in the central median of the motorway between Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream and the Quarry Road motorway overbridge
Continuing with construction of a small noisewall, north of Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream
Beginning to build a new SH1 bridge over Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream
Continuing earthworks in the triangle gore areas between the Drury southbound off and on-ramps and the southbound motorway lanes
Shift Bremner Road traffic onto the new temporary steel truss bridge
Demolish the two bridges on Bremner Road
Shift SH1 southbound traffic onto the central median of the motorway between the BP motorway service centre and Slippery Creek/Otuuwairoa Stream.

For further information regarding the project, please contact our team:

We thank you in advance for your patience during these important motorway upgrades.

Kind regards | Ngā mihi
The SH1 Papakura to Drury team