SH22 Drury upgrade project

20 December 2024

Project newsletter | He pānui

Kia ora

We hope you and your friends and whānau are safe and well as 2024 draws to a close and Christmas and the summer holidays beckon.

With the year wrapping up, we are pleased to bring you this newsletter about the SH22 Drury upgrade project and to update you on our progress and activities this year and outline what's coming up in 2025.

About the project | Te kaupapa

South Auckland is growing fast and the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Auckland Transport and KiwiRail are working together to plan and deliver a number of road and rail improvements in the area to support this future growth.

The SH22 Drury upgrade project area covers a 2km section of the northeastern end of SH22 between its intersections with Jesmond Road (near the Red Shed café) and Mercer Street (near the Drury sports complex).  Proposed improvements to this part of SH22 will support housing growth in the area and provide more reliable transport connections, provide access to the planned Ngākōroa Railway Station and address existing safety issues.

On 13 May, the Government confirmed pre-implementation funding to allow design and consenting work to progress and the additional land required for the project to be purchased.

Key features of the project include:

• Two additional lanes on SH22 (from two to four) between Jesmond Road and Mercer Street to provide better connections to and from Drury Interchange
• Building a second bridge beside the existing Ngaakooroa Stream bridge to carry westbound SH22 traffic
• New traffic lights at the upgraded SH22 / Jesmond Road intersection for improved safety and access into the new Ngākōroa Station
• Traffic lights at the upgraded SH22 / Great South Road intersection for improved safety
• The Burberry Road connection to SH22 will be closed for safety reasons (alternative property access to be confirmed prior to closure)
• A shared walking and cycling path on the northern side of SH22 between Jesmond Road (enabling pedestrian and cycle access to Ngākōroa Station) and Drury Interchange.

Geotechnical investigations to inform the project's design were carried out alongside SH22 during the year.

The year in review | He hokinga mahara

The project's design team has been progressing many areas of work throughout the year, including:

• Flood modelling and analysis
• Site investigations, geotechnical testing, reporting and analysis
• Developing geometric design, signage and road marking, safety barriers, bridge design, stormwater design and utilities design packages, also ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) and pavement design packages
• Identifying possible design changes to achieve cost savings and estimating project costs based on the design
• Working in collaboration with mana whenua, including on the development of the project's urban and landscape design framework
• Preparation of specialist reports for consenting purposes.

The project team has also reached out and engaged with affected landowners and residents as required, including those on Burberry Road who will be impacted by the future closure of the SH22/Burberry Road intersection as part of the project for safety reasons.  For more information on Burberry Road, visit here .

It was a busy morning at the last community information day held in Drury.

Meeting the community | Hui ā hāpori

During 2024, the SH22 Drury upgrade project team attended three community information days (in February, May and November) held in Drury alongside teams from numerous other transport projects in South Auckland.

The most recent one was held at the Drury School Hall on Saturday 30 November.  It was a busy morning with around 280 people attending to learn more about transport projects either underway or coming up in South Auckland.

Members of the SH22 Drury team shared information on the project, including the latest design plans, discussed concerns and answered questions.

Common topics of discussion on the day were around increasing traffic congestion on SH22; safety at the SH22/Jesmond Road and SH22/Great South Road intersections; planned improvements to walking and cycling; and the likely timeframe for when the SH22 Drury upgrades will be built.

To view the latest design plans for the project (as seen on the table in the photo below – which were hot off the press!), visit our website here .

The other information boards displayed at the event are also available on the project website here .

Members of our team enjoy meeting the community and answering questions about the project.

Looking ahead | E haere ake nei

Our team will be carrying out further site inspections, investigations and design reviews needed before the project's design can be confirmed.  In conjunction with this, we will also be completing the various specialist reports, plans and documentation needed for consent lodgement.  We are planning to lodge our applications for resource consent in early-mid 2025.

The team is also seeking confirmation of the timeframe and construction funding needed for delivering the project.  We expect to have the timing of future construction confirmed in mid-late 2025, subject to funding.

Contact us | Whakapā mai

For more information on the project, visit the project website or contact our team as detailed below:

• W: www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/south-auckland-projects/sh22-drury-upgrade/

• E: sh22drury@nzta.govt.nz

• P: 0800 888 947

Kind regards | Ngā mihi

The SH22 Drury upgrade project team