He pānui | Construction update

Kia ora

It is feeling more like spring as we glide into October.  The weather is improving, and with daylight saving time in place, we can all enjoy longer evenings.

Our community information day at Drury on Saturday 9 September was a busy affair with 201 visitors arriving to find out more about this and the various other projects on display.  Visitors were very engaged with the project teams and were pleased to learn about what's both underway and planned for their community.

Last month saw some noticeable changes on the ground. A new layout of motorway traffic lanes is now in place (read why below), and the Papakura southbound loop on-ramp reopened after a significant rebuild.  This on-ramp needed to be realigned to accommodate the widened motorway and to line up with the new Beach Road southbound on-ramp, which is currently under construction.

Down at Drury Interchange, all three replacement North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) bridges now have their concrete decks poured (see concrete pumps in action above) and concrete and steel barriers installed.  Keep reading to find out more.

Coming up, road pavement, footpath and utility service works on Beach Road at Papakura Interchange will begin soon.  The first stage of construction on the south side of Beach Road between Chichester Drive and the motorway overbridge is expected to take up to three months to complete.

Northbound motorway lanes between the BP service centre and Papakura Interchange are now temporarily split either side of the central median barrier.

Switching sides

Last month, we completed enough southbound road widening south of Papakura Interchange to clear the way for all the traffic lanes to be shifted across to the east - into our new 'Phase 3' traffic layout.  Phase 3 is expected to remain in place until mid-2024.

This new layout has cleared the way for more intensive road widening works to begin on the northbound side of the motorway, which will follow a similar pattern to works already done on the southbound side.  It has also created the extra width needed to progress our stormwater box culvert works on the northbound side.

Within this extra width, temporary sheet piles are being installed to support the motorway lanes and prevent any potential subsidence before a sizeable area is dug out, which new culvert sections will then be lifted into.  While some of the temporary sheet piles can be installed during the day, others must be done at night as the northbound motorway lanes must be closed for the piling to be undertaken safely.

Completing the box culvert installation and road widening works on the northbound side will lead into the Phase 4 traffic layout next year, which will create the space needed in the middle of the motorway to install the final culvert sections.

Installing temporary sheet piles at night for the next section of box culverts.

Pumping concrete at Drury

Building the replacement NIMT bridges by Drury Interchange has been all above-ground action for several months now.

Last month, around 330 cubic metres of concrete was poured to form the decks of two bridges that will ultimately carry the Southern Motorway and the new Drury northbound off-ramp across the railway lines.  The deck of the bridge that will carry the new Drury southbound on-ramp over the lines was poured in late August.

Due to the weight of concrete, the decks were poured starting from the middle of the bridges and moving outwards in both directions.  This also makes it easier for the crew who 'work' the poured concrete to create a smooth finish. 

By the end of September, precast concrete barriers had also been installed on all three bridges.  Stitching these concrete barriers to each bridge is now underway – stitching involves concrete being poured into temporary boxing around the precast barriers that have already been bolted to the bridge.  Following this, handrails and rail screens will be installed which will prevent objects dropping onto the railway lines from the future motorway lanes above them.

Work over the railway lines can only be carried out when KiwiRail has a block-of-line (BOL) closure in place. As a result, works over the railway lines are done mostly at night or on Sundays.

Concrete pumps operating from both sides of the bridge allow the finishing crew to work from the 'middle out'. This bridge below will, in time, form part of the new Drury northbound off-ramp.

All three NIMT bridges now have their concrete decks.

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
• Commencing drainage, shared path and pavement works on Beach Road
• Continuing work on three new box culverts crossing under the motorway
• Relocating and upgrading of utility services
• At the NIMT bridge site at Drury Interchange, stitching concrete barriers, and installing handrails and rail protection 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.