Construction update | He pānui

Kia ora

As we move into autumn and the weather begins to change, we're well into our construction works for the year and are making good progress.  This month is shaping up to be a busy one and we are prepared for the expected increase in traffic during the month known in the transport industry as 'March Madness'.

Members of the Papakura to Drury project team recently attended our first community information day for the year at Drury Hall and you can read on to learn about the main topics of conversation fielded by our team.

Rebuilding the Papakura northbound off-ramp is now in full swing, with more details below.

Down at the Drury Interchange, the crew is busy installing bird mesh (to prevent them nesting) under the three North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) bridges, which will complete the work there for now until the next stage of the project (Stage 1B1) kicks off later this year.

The northbound off-ramp at Papakura, with guardrails removed and the asphalt surface milled off, ready for the subgrade to be dug out.

Northbound off-ramp closure | Ka aukati tētahi off-ramp

On the evening of Wednesday 28 February, the Papakura northbound off-ramp was closed for four weeks to undertake necessary improvements identified through pavement testing.  The existing off-ramp foundations need to be reinforced, and where the ramp splits from the motorway will also be realigned to accommodate the upcoming third northbound lane.

We have day and night crews working around the clock to get the work on this ramp finished so we can reopen it by the end of March.  If you see times when we are not working there, it it generally due to waiting for materials to dry out or to cure.  The progress already made can be seen in the photos above and below and we are now into building up and compacting the off-ramp pavement in layers.

While the ramp remains closed, drivers heading north who would normally exit at Papakura will need to exit at either Drury or Takanini interchange instead, and detour to Papakura via Great South Road or SH1 as shown in the detour map here.

If the closure of this off-ramp has affected your regular travels and you'd like to receive weekly traffic notices detailing our road closures for the coming week so you can plan ahead, you can subscribe by visiting here.

Below: Off-ramp dig out complete with new drainage pipes laid and compacting aggregate/material around the pipes.

Meeting the community | Hui ā hapori

There was a great turnout at the first community information day of the year at Drury Hall on 24 February, attended by the SH1 Papakura to Drury team and other project teams working in the Drury / South Auckland area.  Over 275 visitors came along to learn more about the different projects on display and ask any questions they had.

Here are some of the key topics discussed with our Papakura to Drury team on the day:

• The closure of the Papakura northbound off-ramp: why the closure is necessary, the 24/7 works underway and when it will be completed and reopened.
   
• The timing for finishing the current works and opening up the new lanes (north of the BP service centre): the opening of new lanes is currently planned for August/September this year (subject to weather), which will be followed by final resurfacing in spring.
   
• The new cycleway down to Drury: the new shared path for pedestrians and cyclists will be built on the western side of the motorway between Papakura and Drury interchanges as part of the next stage of works.

There was lots of information available on other current and upcoming projects in the area, including the SH22 Drury and Waihoehoe Road upgrade projects; KiwiRail's Drury Rail Stations and electrification to Pukekohe; and the future SH1 motorway upgrades planned between Drury and Bombay (Stage 2 of the SH1 Papakura to Bombay project).

We will continue to hold these joint information sessions going forward so mark your calendars!  The next community information day will be held on 25 May at Drury Hall, for which we will send out reminders closer to the date.

A great turnout at the recent community information day.

Laying asphalt at night on the northbound side of the motorway, across from the BP service centre.

Night pavement works | Ngā mahi i te pō

Our crew has been putting in the long hours, both day and night, to keep things moving along smoothly.  While a lot can be built during the day, when we need to work on live lanes on the motorway or a road that borders it, the night shift crew swing into action.  The same goes for asphalting – it's done at night to minimise traffic disruption and make sure our trucks can get into the site safely and without being held up in traffic.

Speaking of asphalt, the team has been busy laying it on the northbound side of the motorway.  This is all in preparation for the next stage of the project's planned traffic layout, which we call Phase 4.  In Phase 4 (see artist's impression below), all northbound and southbound traffic lanes will be positioned to the far left of the SH1 corridor to create a wide work zone in the middle of the motorway.

That's where things get really interesting!  During Phase 4, we'll be installing the middle section of the three stormwater box culverts running underneath the motorway.  These final culvert sections will connect to and complete the sections we've already installed under the eastern and western sides of the motorway.

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, including north of Papakura Interchange
• Continuing pavement and drainage works on the southbound side of the motorway, north of Papakura Interchange
• Continuing work on a new southbound on-ramp at Papakura Interchange
• Continuing drainage, shared path and pavement works on Beach Road
• Relocating and upgrading of utility services.

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.