Artist's impression of the new Park Estate Road bridge

Bridge building on Park Estate Road

The Park Estate Road bridge over the motorway is being replaced and raised (for increased clearance underneath) and will include wide paths for people on foot and on bikes.  It will also include new water supply infrastructure for future housing and business developments on the western side of the bridge.

The bridge needs to be replaced as its abutments are not wide enough to fit the additional motorway lanes underneath that are being added as part of the project.

Steel Barriers in...

Over the last six weeks, approximately 7.5 kilometres of steel barriers have been laid at night along the shoulders of newly paved and line marked motorway lanes between the Papakura interchange and the BP motorway service centre north of Drury.

Along with slightly narrowed traffic lanes, these barriers are creating safe work zones on the motorway shoulders and in the centre so that construction can take place safely while minimising impacts on traffic flow.

For added safety, the fresh new paving and line markings will ensure there are no ghost lines to confuse motorists in low light conditions – the construction team call this Ghost Busters!!

...old barriers out

The grass strip and old metal and wire-rope barriers in the middle of the motorway will be replaced by new pavement and one solid concrete barrier. This will create extra space so that the lanes can be shifted over to allow for three lanes (and wide shoulders) instead of two in each direction.

Retaining wall construction gets underway

Tucked in on the western side of the Southern Motorway by the almost 60-year-old Park Estate Road bridge, a hive of activity is underway as a new retaining wall is built.  This wall will support a widened approach to the Park Estate Road overbridge which is being rebuilt in two stages over the next 18 months.

In the photo below, Site Engineers check steel pile cages that will be lowered into holes drilled up to 19 metres deep.

Work on the western retaining wall for the new bridge started in early May, and is expected to take around three months to complete.

Looking ahead

Over the coming months we will be:

• investigating underground services
• carrying out piling and retaining works at Park Estate Bridge
• removing vegetation on Park Estate Road and at various locations on the motorway shoulders
• removing wire rope barriers in the motorway median
• preparing noise wall installation.

Background Information

The SH1 Papakura to Drury South 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 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 overbridge.

Together these works will extend the improvements north of Papakura delivered by the Southern Corridor Improvements project.

For more information on the SH1 Papakura to Drury South project (or Papakura to Bombay), contact us at p2b@nzta.govt.nz or 0800 741 722.

For current construction work queries, please contact the Fulton Hogan project team on 0800 796 796.

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/p2b