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SH1 Papakura to Drury project update
4 August 2021

 

August Construction Update

This monthly e-newsletter update will keep you posted about construction activities on the SH1 Papakura to Drury project over the last month, and what to expect coming up.

If you have any queries or want to learn more about construction on the project, you can reach the project team using the contact details given at the bottom of this newsletter, or drop by the new site office at 25 Tegal Road Drury to catch us in person.

For further information, you can also visit the project website at www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b

 
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Meeting our neighbours - community information days

In July the project team caught up with locals at the Sir Edmund Hillary Library in Papakura and Franklin: The Centre in Pukekohe.  Highlights included meeting locals with a wealth of local knowledge and history to share, and seeing kids of ALL ages enjoying having their photos taken while posing in our construction vehicle frames.

Visitors enjoyed learning about the Papakura to Drury project's staging and progress of construction, and were also interested to see the upcoming plans for rebuilding Drury Interchange and extending the Southern Path between Takanini and Papakura down to Drury.

 

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Pictured from left: Prasad Tala (Principal Transport Planner, Waka Kotahi), Pukekohe resident Merv Cordes, and Ross Clifton (Fulton Hogan Engineer - Structures.)   
As a youngster, Merv watched the first-ever section of Auckland motorway being constructed at Point Chevalier.

 
 
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Pictured from left: Project team members Tom Snelling, Ashyineet Chand and Caitlin Maclennan with Papakura resident Michael Guild (second from left).

Michael spent many of his working years in the pavement industry.

 
 
 

Lost the plot?

... Actually we've got the plot!  A 'Long Plot' is a technical name for a map of the project site.  People attending the information days (see below) were fascinated to see the project design shown on aerial plans and were able to show us where they live or point out what parts of the project they were particularly interested in.

 

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I'm driving - got it!

Some fun for the kids with our big rig photo frames at the community open days.

 

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Towering success at Park Estate School

At the end of Term 2, Year 4-6 pupils at Park Estate School took up the challenge of building an arch that their group could all pass under without it falling over, using only A4 paper and cellotape.

Some of our project team's engineers joined in the fun as mentors and were blown away by the pupils' enthusiasm, planning, problem-solving, team work and construction skills that ended up with every team building a successful arch.

The room was full of activity, discussions, multiple collapses (but no giving up) and laughter.  Hopefully some of these pupils will consider careers in construction-related areas because there was so much talent in the room.

 
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What's been happening on site?

Bush-crashing to clear the way!  Construction of a haul road is underway alongside the southbound lanes of SH1 with trees and other vegetation now removed.  The haul road is being built from both the Papakura Interchange, Beach Road end (pictured at right) and the Park Estate Road bridge end of the 1.5 km site.

The noise walls are coming!  They'll be built from this haul road which will also be used to install new stormwater drains and relocate other services including street lights.

 
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Phase 1 of building new lanes on SH1 – the night shift crew are making good progress northwards along the central median.

Sunday through Thursday nights we're stripping the existing grass and top soil, digging down and then building up the subgrade - layers of aggregate (rock) are compacted, getting progressively smaller towards the top of the subgrade to maximise road strength.  This work will continue to around 900m north of Papakura Interchange.

Photo at left shows the view from Park Estate Road bridge looking northwards.

 

 

Coming soon - big trucks bearing big things

We've been putting in piles for the retaining walls on the south-eastern and south-western sides of the existing Park Estate Road bridge and have also piled and poured the new columns in the central median of the motorway for the new bridge.  Works will soon be at the point where the first deck beams (panels) can be installed onto the new bridge in September.

The deck of the new bridge will be made up of 22 beams, each around 30 metres long and weighing around 50 tonnes.

     

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To the right of the big yellow crane is the new retaining wall on the south-western side of Park Estate Road.  In the foreground is the western bridge abutment – where the bridge joins land.

 
 
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New columns being formed in the central motorway median will support the bridge deck of the southern half of the new and wider Park Estate Road bridge.

 
 
 

Puna it is!

The noise wall coming along the southbound side of the motorway between Beach Road and Park Estate Road will be constructed using steel columns and concrete panels to match the existing Papakura and Takanini style noise walls (see below) north of the Papakura interchange.  The 'Puna' colour scheme taken from the Toi Māori palette by Aalto Colour will be used for the new noise wall.

 
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Looking ahead

Over the coming months we will be:

  • investigating underground services with hydro-excavation and carrying out temporary utility relocations
  • commencing stormwater (drainage) works and staged transfer of services from the existing Park Estate Road bridge across onto the new bridge
  • continuing to dig out the grass and starting drainage work followed by pavement construction in the central median of SH1, heading northwards past Papakura Interchange
  • completing installation of temporary guard rails between Park Estate Road bridge and Papakura Interchange
  • carrying out piling and retaining works at Park Estate Road bridge and installing the beams that will form the base of the southern half of the new bridge deck
  • completing  vegetation removal alongside the southbound lanes of SH1 between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road bridge
  • removing vegetation alongside the northbound lanes of SH1 between Park Estate Road bridge and Papakura Interchange
  • building haul roads on both the northbound and southbound sides of SH1 behind the steel barriers
  • commencing noise wall construction along the SH1 boundary on the southbound side.
  • constructing retaining walls along the SH1 boundary on the northbound side.
 

 

Background information

The SH1 Papakura to Drury project is part of the NZ Upgrade Programme.

The first stage of construction covers works within the existing motorway boundaries from the north side of Papakura interchange to the south side of the Drury motorway service centre.

Key features of this first stage include:

  • An additional third lane in each direction and wide shoulders for future bus services
  • The replacement of the Park Estate Road overbridge
  • A new noise wall on the eastern side of the motorway between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road
  • The upgrade of three culverts crossing under the motorway between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road
  • Treatment of all stormwater coming off the motorway (as currently there is none).

Additional works to follow in the next stage once consented (note: applications were recently lodged under the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act) also include:

  • A walking and cycling pathway along the western side of the motorway
  • Interchange improvements at Papakura (a new southbound on-ramp) and Drury (to allow for railway electrification and additional rail lines)
  • The replacement of the Bremner Road (Jesmond) overbridge and the Ngakoroa Stream bridge.

For more information on the SH1 Papakura to Drury project, visit the website on www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b

 

 
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Contact us

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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

You can also visit the Papakura to Drury project site office at 25 Tegal Road, Drury, during business hours (weekdays 9am - 5pm).