SH1 Papakura to Drury

Construction update

9 May 2025

Construction update | He pānui

Kia ora

We are now starting our winter works programme on the project. Winter weather presents additional challenges that can cause delays.

The team has made good progress over the last month, particularly near the southern end of Victoria Street. Works have included identifying underground services, installing temporary barriers, carrying out earthworks and laying stormwater pipes which will enable us to realign the end of the road. 

Great South Road / SH22 is a busy, tight site with work underway on both sides of the road. To make things safer for our workers on the road and for everyone travelling through this busy area, temporary steel barriers have been installed on each side of the road. Read on for more about these.  Much the current work is being carried out at night, including directional drilling under the full width of the road – which removes the need to open trench across this busy, arterial route.

We have also started work in the middle section (the central median) of the motorway. To make this work area safe and accessible, a key focus last month was shifting the SH1 northbound lanes across to the west after southbound lanes were shifted eastwards earlier in the year. This change in traffic layout has created the space we need in the median for road construction. Continue reading for more details.

Block laying and backfilling works on the large retaining wall on Flanagan Road has been completed to the point where backfilled material must now settle for a period to become compacted. This wall has been built to enable the realignment of Flanagan Road and will also house a section of the Waikato 1 watermain – which needs to be moved because it currently lies where new motorway lanes will be built. Installing new pipes for the Waikato 1 watermain is already underway and, following a 'cutover' from the old alignment to the new, the new section of this watermain is expected to become operational in December this year.

The temporary steel truss bridge being built on Bremner Road over Ngaakooroa Stream is also progressing well. It is planned to have traffic shifted onto it in the third quarter of this year, following which the existing bridge over the stream will be demolished and replaced with a higher bridge.

Further north at Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream, earthworks on the eastern side of the motorway are clearly visible on both sides of the stream. Our current works have centred on clearing and establishing a site access and undertaking the enabling works required to bring in large cranes.  These cranes will be used to drive in ground improvement piles that will significantly strengthen the ground under the new alignment for the motorway and its new higher and wider bridge across the stream.

An aerial view of the central median, looking south from the BP motorway service centre.

Central median works | Ngā mahi kei waenga i te huarahi matua

Good progress was made on the Southern Motorway last month, which saw the northbound motorway lanes shifted over to the west and the creation of a protected work area in the central median to allow the building of new pavement. Site access points into the median are now under construction to provide safe passage for construction crews and equipment going in and out of this central site.

Earthworks in the median will commence later this month, which is the first stage of building new pavement. These earthworks will prepare the ground to build the solid foundation needed for the new motorway lanes. Initially, our focus will be on the section of median between the BP motorway service centre and Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream.

In contrast to Stage 1A already completed, Stage 1B central median works will be delivered in a series of smaller work areas. This approach is necessary because there are new bridges to build over Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream, over the motorway at Bremner Road and over Great South Road at Drury Interchange. Building smaller sections of new pavement in the central median allows us to construct the foundations and structures of these bridges safely as we progress down the motorway.

Our construction activities in the median will include earthworks, installing underground utility services and drainage pipes, laying the base layers, and then building the final road surface for the new lanes.

Temporary steel barriers keeping crew safe from live traffic.

Temporary steel barriers | Ngā mea haumaru

Keeping both motorists and our crews safe is always our number one priority and a key method to achieve this is by using temporary steel barriers. These barriers are essential for creating sufficient, safe spaces for our crews working next to live traffic without needing to close the motorway.

You'll see these temporary steel barriers when you're driving through our sites on the motorway and on SH22. Their main purpose is simple and vital – they physically separate the road from our construction sites.

Wherever a row of temporary steel barriers begins, there is a special crash cushion installed at the start. These cushions are designed to absorb energy and provide a buffer zone in case a vehicle accidentally hits the start of the barrier, helping to reduce the severity of any impact on those in the vehicle.

For the temporary steel barriers to work safely, a 'deflection zone' is required. This zone is the distance the barrier is expected to move or bend sideways if it gets hit by a vehicle. The width of the deflection zone is critical because it determines the exclusion zone behind the barriers where our crews cannot work or store materials and plant. If any construction work needs to be carried out within the deflection zone, then we must close either one or both adjacent traffic lanes while carrying out the work at night.  The steel barriers also protect motorists from hitting construction equipment and driving on uneven surfaces or potentially into an excavation or trench.

We can only close lanes or roads on the state highway network at night. This is because there is significantly less traffic during night hours, which helps to minimise delays and disruption for most travellers. If part of the motorway is closed, our crews are out there working, even if you can’t see exactly where because you’ve been diverted onto a detour route. The section of the Southern Motorway we are widening between Papakura and Drury now carries around 85,000 vehicles each day.

Latest photos from site | Ngā pikitia

We are investigating underground services, carrying out earthworks, paving and piling across the project extent – safe from live traffic with temporary steel barriers in place.

Looking ahead | E haere ake nei

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
• Beginning to install underground services in the western side of Victoria Street, north of the Drury Sports Complex carpark
• Building a temporary steel truss bridge over Ngaakooroa Stream for Bremner Road traffic
• Continuing earthworks either side of Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream in preparation for bridge building works
• Starting construction works in the central median of the motorway between the Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream and Bremner Road motorway overbridge
• Begin building a retaining wall on the southern side of SH1, south of Bremner Road motorway overbridge.

Contact us | Whakapā mai

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

• P: 0800 796 796
• E: p2b@nzta.govt.nz
• W: www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b

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

Kind regards | Ngā mihi
The SH1 Papakura to Drury team