Construction update | He pānui

Kia ora

The weather is definitely changing and it feels like autumn has settled in with some cooler temperatures in the morning and shorter daylight hours.  Our team is prepared for the approach of winter, having submitted our winter works' plan to Auckland Council.

Last month, we were pleased to reopen the Papakura northbound off-ramp a full week earlier than scheduled.  The day and night crews involved had worked hard over three weeks to rebuild and realign the off-ramp as part of the project.

There has also been great progress on Beach Road – all the directional drilling at the intersection of Chichester Drive, Elliot Street and Beach Road is finished.  Now the team is focusing on the pavement work for the new Beach Road southbound on-ramp.

We've also got our next "Phase 4" traffic shift coming up later this month – read on for more details.

Lastly, enjoy the extra hour of sleep coming your way this weekend when daylight saving time ends on Sunday morning!

The Papakura northbound off-ramp reopened at 5am on Thursday 21 March.

Beach Road update | Pānui ki Beach Road

Up on Beach Road at Papakura, things have been moving along smoothly.  The crew has been busy building the new southbound on-ramp, along with a new shared path for cyclists and pedestrians on the south side of the road between Chichester Drive and the motorway overbridge.  We expect to reopen the free left turn lane from Chichester Drive onto Beach Road by end of this month.

Last month the crew finished all the directional drilling and installing utility ducts at the tricky intersection of Beach Road, Chichester Drive and Elliot Street.  They also made good progress on the new southbound on-ramp itself – the slip-formed concrete barriers are done, and the concrete for the shared path will be poured next week.

Later this month we will be asphalting the new on-ramp at night followed by line marking. During days, we will be installing guardrails and finishing up the landscaping.

The on-ramp is really taking shape and we are aiming to open it up to traffic towards the end of April or in early May.

Lifting in the post for an advance warning sign (AWS) on Beach Road.

Newly laid asphalt on the northbound side of the motorway in preparation for the Phase 4 traffic switch.

Phase 4 traffic switch coming | Ngā hurihanga ki te rori e haere ake nei

News flash!  We are gearing up for our next traffic switch – which will be the fourth traffic layout of the project so far.

Leading into that, all the underground works on the northbound side of the motorway are finished and we've already laid around 7,000 tons of asphalt - with approximately another 4,000 tons to go.

The switch into the Phase 4 traffic layout (see graphic below) is scheduled for late April.  If you want to know exactly when it will happen once timing is confirmed, you can sign up to our weekly traffic notices by subscribing here. 

Construction works during the Phase 4 layout will focus on installing the middle (and final) sections of three large stormwater box culverts crossing under the motorway between the Beach Road and Park Estate Road overbridges.  These last culvert sections will connect up to and complete the sections already installed under the eastern and western sides of the motorway.

Once these culverts sections are installed, further asphalt, lane markings, streetlights and concrete barriers will complete the pavement works for Stage 1A of the project.

Southbound works update | He pānui ki ngā rori ki te tonga

On the southbound side of the motorway, the crew has been focusing their efforts north of Papakura to realign the southbound off-ramp, which will provide room for a third southbound lane through the interchange.

Last year in October, we temporarily moved the diverge point for the Papakura southbound off-ramp to give the crew space to work on building the new permanent alignment of the off-ramp.  Since then, works have included putting in new and improved drainage for stormwater, installing streetlights, building open swale drains, and installing slip-form concrete barriers.  Next week, weather permitting, we will be placing the asphalt for the off-ramp's new alignment.  There's also landscaping planting to come once we're into the growing season (when it's cooler and there's more rain).

Late this month, we are planning to move traffic onto the new permanent off-ramp.  We will then install the final few panels of the noise wall in the gap at the southern end of Jack Farrell Park, which we have been using for safe access into the worksite without affecting motorway traffic.

Aerial view of the worksite for pavement construction on the new alignment for the southbound off-ramp at Papakura.

Latest photos from site | Ngā pikitia

We are working across the site, with lots of pavement and asphalt works; subsoil drainage works; and installing and future-proofing utility services.

Looking ahead | E haere ake nei

During the coming months, our project works include:

• Continuing to build pavement for road widening on the northbound side of the motorway, north of Papakura Interchange
• Continuing drainage, shared path and pavement works on Beach Road
• Installing box culvert sections in the central median of the motorway
• Relocating and upgrading of utility services on Beach Road.

Contact us | Whakapā mai

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.