SH1 Papakura to Drury

Construction update

9 October 2024

Construction update | He pānui

Kia ora

With daylight saving time bringing extra light in the evenings, it certainly feels like summer isn't too far away!  For the construction team, last month was a period of minor 'wrap up' construction activities now that the additional third lanes are open in both directions.

This month we are beginning the last phase of asphalt paving on both sides of the motorway.  This is the final wearing course surfacing - the 'icing on the cake'.  The plan is to start this paving north of Papakura Interchange and work southwards on the southbound side of the motorway, and then shift over to the northbound side and work our way back northwards.

Further south, east of the Drury Interchange, earthworks have begun in preparation for building a large retaining wall on Flanagan Road.  Investigations to locate and identify underground services are also underway for the next stage of the project, Stage 1B.

Mason Templeton and Luke Tennent are members of our large team who have worked a lot of nights to get the motorway lanes paved under road closures, and have more work ahead.

The icing on the cake | Te pani reka ki te keke

With the main construction works completed, last month was quieter on the Stage 1A site.  The crew worked days and nights to finish the last few tasks, ensuring everything was top-notch before final pavement works begin.  We've been carrying out final quality checks and inspections to ensure that what has been built so far meets the required standard or better.

This month, the crew will lay the final 40mm layer of asphalt on both sides of the motorway.  The southbound side of the motorway will be paved first, from north of Papakura Interchange down to the BP motorway service centre, a distance of about 3.5 km.  The crew will then switch over to the northbound side of the motorway and pave 2.5 km from opposite the BP motorway service centre northwards.  The difference is because the length of works done north of Papakura Interchange was greater in the southbound direction, as we needed to move the long Papakura southbound off-ramp closer to the noise wall to allow room for the third new lane to continue through the interchange.

We expect to use 7,858 tonnes of asphalt to complete these works, which will also include laying new asphalt on Beach Road between the Chichester Drive / Elliot Street intersection and the motorway over-bridge.  The Beach Road works will be the last pavement laid to complete Stage 1A of the project.

This aerial of the new bridges over the railway at Drury illustrate where the motorway will ultimately be moved across to. The end of Flanagan Road runs parallel to SH1 below the wide middle bridge in this picture.

Retaining wall | Taiapa pupuri whenua

As part of preparations for the next stage (Stage 1B) of the project around Drury Interchange, works have begun at the western end of Flanagan Road – which needs to be moved out of the way as the motorway will move over onto where the end of Flanagan Road currently sits.  A section of a large arterial watermain (the Waikato Pipeline) along Flanagan Road also needs to be moved during the next stage of the project.

On this site, we have been installing controls to contain sediment and protect against erosion during our works to come, clearing vegetation and digging holes to confirm the location of existing underground services.  Earthworks are well underway and digging out the site of a new retaining wall beside Hingaia Stream will begin soon.

The protected Runciman Oak and a surrounding grove of oaks are well fenced and supported by a rock retaining wall. They will not be removed.

Vegetation removal | Te ketutanga ā ngā taru

For road widening projects like this one, vegetation often needs to be removed – as it was between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road back in July 2021.  This can make a very noticeable change to the look of the motorway for motorists driving past.

While extra land was often set aside for future widening when motorways were originally built, the amount was not always enough to allow for future growth - which is the case here.  Healthy trees and shrubs are only removed when it is not possible or practical to leave them in place.  Common reasons for removal include providing the necessary space to build new motorway lanes and stormwater treatment areas, replacing overbridges, upgrading underground utilities and for safety reasons during construction.

In the coming weeks we will begin removing trees along the motorway corridor from north of Bremner Road overbridge down to Drury Interchange, on both sides of the motorway.  There will also be some tree removal on Bremner Road west of the motorway overbridge, beside SH22 and on Victoria Street.

Be reassured, our crews will remain well clear of the protected Runciman Oak and the small, surrounding grove of oak trees beside the northbound on-ramp at Drury Interchange.  It's now also nesting season so an ecologist will check every tree for nests prior to removal.

Looking ahead | E haere ake nei

During the coming months, our project works include:

• Final Stage 1A asphalt surfacing work on both sides of the motorway between the north side of Papakura Interchange and the BP motorway service centre
• Underground service investigations around Drury Interchange on Flanagan Road, Great South Road, SH22, Bremner Road, Victoria Street and Mercer Street
• Installing sediment and erosion controls on Flanagan Road and SH22 sites to protect the Hingaia and Ngaakooroa Streams
• Earthworks in preparation for building a retaining wall to realign Flanagan Road
• Removing vegetation along both sides of the motorway around and north of Drury Interchange (noting that the fenced Runciman Oak and a small grove of oaks surrounding it will not be removed)
• Demolishing two houses on Bremner Road to the west of the motorway overbridge
• Demolishing the old police weigh station beside the Victoria Street/SH22 intersection.

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