He pānui | Construction update

Kia ora

The decent run of fine weather over November was welcomed by the teams working on site during the day and, when needed, overnight.  Good progress has been made on the northbound side of the motorway, with the installation of all sections of the three box culverts scheduled for this phase of works.  Once complete, these box culverts will direct all treated stormwater across and underneath the motorway, providing drainage and preventing potential flooding.

Our works on Beach Road are well underway.  Most of the stormwater drainage works have been completed and pavement construction is progressing.  The alignment of the new southbound Papakura (Beach Road) on-ramp is clearly visible and these works are expected to continue through to May next year.

The current works on the three North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) bridges at Drury Interchange are expected to be completed in February next year.  Handrails on top of the concrete barriers and anti-throw screens are being installed and anti-graffiti paint applied.  Work will then pause on these bridges for a while until the next stage gets underway.

Last Saturday we held our final community information day for the year at Drury Hall, which was attended by over 130 people.  We enjoyed reconnecting with members of the community we already know and also meeting new people from Papakura, Karaka, Drury and beyond.  If you would like to learn more about the project in person, our next information day is being held on 24 February 2024 at Drury Hall.

Tiaki i te taiao | Caring for the environment

Building box culverts across the full width of the motorway to replace and upgrade existing culverts is a staged process in terms of how traffic is managed. The impact on motorists is an important consideration but not the only one - caring for the environment is a priority from start to finish.  One example of this is carrying out water quality testing regularly on all our different construction sites - from day one through to when works are completed.

The box culverts will feed into existing streams and, because of this, any fish living in the existing culverts and close to our construction works need to be relocated. Our environmental manager and a kaitiaki representative from local mana whenua manage any fish and lizard monitoring and relocation. To date, we have relocated around 200 eels and six banded kōkopu downstream or into Otuuwairoa Stream / Slippery Creek, which is one of the eels' natural habitats. 

Before setting up on site at Karaka Reserve at Drury Interchange early last year, we also carried out a comprehensive lizard monitoring programme.  No lizards were found but we continue to keep an eye out for them.

The well-being of nearby residents, motorists and our crews working on site is an absolute priority.  Construction works do generate dust, particularly in summer.  Dust is managed in a number of ways including minimising stockpiling of materials on site; covering any stockpiled material that is required to be on site; laying weed matting over any completed earthworks that are yet to be planted; and spreading water on haul roads and areas where pavement is being built up in layers.

Construction works can also be noisy and can generate vibration.  All machinery used on site is operated at a level that meets permitted requirements.  Monitoring of noise and vibration is carried out when required and we always respond to community queries and feedback regarding both.

I toro mai te kura| School visit

Last month, Year 11 students from Papakura High School visited the Papakura to Drury project site.  The visit began with a site induction at the project office located on Tegal Road, followed by presentations that explained the what, why, how, when and where of the project.  The students also joined our regular "10@10" – when the project management team catch up with the wider team for a quick chat about what's going on and have a chocolate biscuit!

Having first asked Papakura High School staff what would make the visit the most meaningful for students, the visit was designed to show the wide range of work opportunities available in construction engineering.  Site supervisor Aaron led the rest of the day, providing students with a first-hand experience of the construction process with time on site.  Aaron showed the range of jobs available and how different roles require different skills, explaining there's something for everyone who is interested in building things and is prepared to work hard. 

Aaron emphasised the importance of obtaining a driver's licence while still in school, as having a licence opens up a wider range of job opportunities.  "It may sound obvious but that little bit of light green plastic can be a game-changer," said Aaron. 

Lisa, Papakura High School's Gateway Coordinator, planned the visit with Aaron and said the students' feedback made it clear that having this 'on site' experience gave them a lot to think about and to aim for.  We're looking forward to building on this relationship with Papakura High School and other South Auckland schools.

Site supervisor Aaron going through a risk assessment with students.

Ngā pikitia | Latest photos from site

We remain busy across the site, with lots of pavement and asphalt works; stormwater management improvement works; landscape planting; installing and future-proofing utility services and continuing bridge building works by Drury Interchange.

E haere ake nei | Looking ahead

During the coming months, our project works include:

• Continuing to build box culverts and pavement for road widening on the northbound side of the motorway, including north of Papakura Interchange
• Continuing pavement and drainage works on the southbound side of the motorway, north of Papakura Interchange
• Continuing work on a new southbound on-ramp at Papakura Interchange
• Continuing drainage, shared path and pavement works on Beach Road
• Relocating and upgrading of utility services
• At the NIMT bridge site at Drury Interchange, installing handrails, anti-graffiti paint and anti-throw screens on the concrete decks of the three new motorway bridges being built over the railway lines.

Whakapā mai | Contact us

For further information regarding the project please contact our team:

P: 0800 796 796 or text 027 703 5284 - for construction-related queries
P: 0800 741 722 - for general project queries
E: p2b@nzta.govt.nz
W: www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b

You can also visit the Papakura to Drury project site office during normal business hours (weekdays 8am-5pm) at 25 Tegal Road, Drury.