SH1 Papakura to Drury

Construction update

6 December 2024

Construction update | He pānui

Kia ora

We are now well into summer with long days and warmer weather - with the wet weather hopefully behind us!  Over the last month the team has completed the final layer of asphalt on both sides of the motorway – the final 'icing on the cake'.  Earlier this week we also completed laying final asphalt on Beach Road, which marks the end of the asphalting programme for Stage 1A of the project.

With asphalting now done, a second 'long-life' coat of line markings will be applied on both sides of the motorway and on Beach Road in the New Year – we need to wait for a bit until the asphalt is sufficiently cured to ensure the long-life markings stay put.

While some early works have been underway since September, this month construction officially started on the next stage (Stage 1B) of the project.

Stage 1B is a much larger and more complex construction project than Stage 1A, meaning the construction timeframe will be significantly longer.  The estimated completion date for Stage 1B is August 2030.  Read on for more information.

Work will also begin early in 2025 on installing traffic lights at the intersection of SH22 and Great South Road.  Signalising this intersection is required for traffic mitigation as part of Stage 1B of the project and will improve safety over the current intersection layout.

An aerial view of Drury Interchange looking northwards – the interchange will be raised and shifted across to the east where three new bridges have already been built over the railway.

Stage 1B

Key features of Stage 1B of the Papakura to Drury project include:

• Continuing the new third motorway lane in both directions from the BP service centre down to Drury Interchange, including safety and lighting upgrades
   
• Relocating Drury Interchange across to the east and raising it up higher – due to the safety clearance needed above the newly-electrified North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) railway, and to improve over-dimensional vehicle access along Great South Road under the motorway.  Three bridges have already been built across the NIMT railway, purposefully in advance of KiwiRail’s electrification to Pukekohe project
   
• Replacing the SH1 motorway bridge across Great South Road; the Bremner Road bridges over SH1 and Ngaakooroa Stream (beside Auranga); and the two SH1 bridges over Otuuwairoa Stream / Slippery Creek
   
• Realigning the Victoria Street intersection on SH22 to line up opposite Mercer Street, and signalising the intersection (installing traffic lights)
   
• Realigning the southern end of Flanagan Road (as the motorway will move over to where the end of Flanagan Road currently lies)
   
• Building a shared walking and cycling path on the western (northbound) side of SH1 between Papakura and Drury Interchanges, with connections at Park Estate and Bremner Roads, and upgrading walking and cycling facilities on Great South Road through Drury Interchange
   
• Significant upgrades of utility services including improvements to stormwater management and realignment of the existing Waikato water supply pipeline beside Flanagan Road.

For more information on Stage 1B and the project overall, visit the project website at www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b

We will continue to keep the community updated on the progress of our construction works via these e-newsletters, the project website and regular community information days.  We are also happy to meet with and give presentations to business and community groups on request.

There was a great turn out at the recent Drury / South Auckland community information day.

Community information day | Te rā hapori

The Papakura to Drury project team recently attended the Drury / South Auckland community information day held on Saturday 30 November at the Drury School Hall.  It was our busiest event yet with over 270 people attending!

From the conversations held on Saturday, some of the common queries raised about our project were:

• When is the next stage starting and how long will it take?
  Stage 1B of the project officially began earlier this week and the estimated completion date is August 2030.  This length of time is necessary due to the complexities of the project and the need to keep both SH1 and SH22 operating during construction.
   
• What is happening with the two bridges on Bremner Road and what happens to Auranga access when the bridge over the motorway is demolished?
  The Bremner Road bridges over SH1 and Ngaakooroa Stream must be replaced with higher bridges as part of Stage 1B.  During construction, there will always be at least two ways available to get in and out of Auranga.  When the bridge over SH1 is demolished and rebuilt over ~2 years, Auranga residents and visitors can use either the Victoria Street / SH22 / Mercer Street intersection (which in 2025 will have traffic lights installed) or the existing Jesmond Road / SH22 intersection.
   
• Why wasn't the cycleway built as part of Stage 1A, at least between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road bridge?
  Extra land outside the previous motorway boundaries was needed to build the shared walking and cycling path and this land needed to be purchased from adjacent landowners first – which can take time.  The shared path was always intended to be built as part of Stage 1B between Papakura and Drury Interchanges, extending the existing Southern Path between Takanini and Papakura Interchanges.
   
• Is the SH22 / Great South Road intersection going to get traffic lights?
  Yes, this intersection will be signalised soon as a required mitigation during coming phases of Stage 1B, when the Drury northbound off-ramp will need to be closed for an extended period of time, and the Drury southbound on-ramp for shorter periods.  These ramps closures will mean more vehicles using Great South Road as the detour from Ramarama back to Drury Interchange.  As the existing SH22 / Great South Road intersection has congestion and safety concerns, we are required to install traffic lights here first before any of the planned ramp closures.

The next community information day will be held on Saturday 22 February 2025.  If you have any questions in the meantime about the Papakura to Drury project, feel free to contact us by replying to this newsletter or using our other contacts as listed in the "Contact Us" section below.

The old Police weigh station building being loaded on a transporter to be taken off-site.

New traffic lights | Ngā rama hou

On SH22 just west of Drury Interchange, the southern end of Victoria Street (beside the Drury sports complex) will be realigned directly opposite Mercer Street and upgraded with traffic lights.  To allow for this intersection realignment, the old weigh station building opposite Mercer Street was removed last week so construction can begin.  Our team has installed temporary fencing around the old weigh bridge site and put measures in place (such as silt fences) to protect the environment during our upcoming works.

This intersection will be signalised for the safety of motorists turning right into or out of Victoria and Mercer Streets.  The traffic lights must be installed before the future demolition of the Bremner Road bridge across the motorway to provide a safe alternative access for the Auranga community.

Further to the west, we are also installing traffic lights at the SH22 / Great South Road intersection – which is a requirement ahead of the future motorway ramp closures mentioned earlier.

Looking ahead | E haere ake nei

During the coming months, our project works include:

• Building a large retaining wall needed for the realignment of Flanagan Road (on the southeastern side of Drury Interchange)
• 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
• Starting works at the SH22 / Great South Road intersection to install traffic lights
• Building a temporary bridge on the south side of the existing Bremner Road bridge over the Ngaakooroa Stream for traffic to use while we rebuild the existing bridge over this stream.

Contact us | Whakapā mai

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

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