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SH1 Papakura to Drury

Construction update

7 November 2025



	Mana Whenua blessed the temporary steel truss bridge over Ngaakooroa Stream ahead of traffic shifting onto it this week. Construction update \| He pānui Kia ora The days are getting longer and warmer, and the weather more settled, which bodes well for a good summer construction season. Our works across the SH1 Papakura to Drury (P2D) project have been progressing well over the last month. Read on for progress updates across the project length over the last month. Please get in touch if you have any queries about the works shown in this issue or any other aspect of the P2D project – our contact details are shown at the end of this update.



	Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream Last month, we started installing ground improvement piles on the southbound (eastern) side of SH1, on the north side of Slippery Creek. These piles will strengthen the ground for the new wider motorway alignment, with three lanes in each direction. We have also been building a temporary crane platform (pictured below) which will be used when we install the piles for the new permanent SH1 bridge over the stream. The pile visible in the water is part of temporary staging works which will aid with permanent pile construction. Further north, the new noisewall is largely complete other than some minor finishing works. When completed, the noisewall will be painted a puna (blue clay) colour – which is the same colour as the noise wall between Papakura Interchange and Park Estate Road completed as part of Stage 1A.



	Bremner Road at Ngaakooroa Stream After it was blessed by Mana Whenua late last week (see top photo), this week we shifted Bremner Road traffic onto the new steel truss bridge over Ngaakooroa Stream, which is a temporary single-lane bridge controlled by temporary traffic lights to manage traffic flow. This temporary bridge also has a pedestrian walkway as seen on the left-hand side of the photo above, which includes some beautiful artworks created by local childcare centres BestStart Bremner Road and Bright Horizons Drury. Tamariki from both centres cut the ribbon to open the bridge this week before the traffic switch (see below). This month, we will start dismantling and demolishing the existing bridge over the stream in stages, which is expected to be completed early next year. In the gap created, we can then begin building the new and higher bridge over the stream.



	Drury Interchange For the past two months, our works at Drury Interchange have focused on the two southbound triangle gore areas in preparation for building the abutments and piers for a new SH1 bridge over Great South Road. Earthworks in both these locations will continue this month. Next week, in the northeastern gore we will start installing permanent stone columns that will be formed by digging deep holes and then filling them with rocks to strengthen the ground for the bridge abutments. On the southbound side of the motorway, we have been installing soil nails that will strengthen a retaining wall being built on the southbound side of the motorway between the Bremner Road overbridge and the Drury southbound off-ramp. The sloping land at this location is being cut back to create the additional area needed to realign the off-ramp and build a new third southbound lane. The photo below left shows reinforcing steel that has been installed in preparation for a concrete pour. The photo below right shows concrete that was poured into temporary boxing that was removed once the concrete dried. This month, we will continue installing reinforced concrete for this retaining wall, placing capping beams, installing the final row of soil nails and other concrete works.



	SH22 / Great South Road Through October, we have been working on SH22 / Great South Road mostly at night as the nature of our works in the central median and laying asphalt has required road closures, which are only permitted at night. The photo above shows a milling machine removing old asphalt before new asphalt can be laid. The asphalt being laid on this project comprises up to 30% recycled asphalt (millings). With our road rebuilding on the northern side of SH22 / Great South Road completed, we shifted westbound traffic across into the centre of SH22 earlier this week. This traffic shift has allowed us to reinstate partial access between Victoria Street and SH22 – with left turns in and left turns out now possible between the two. Our ongoing works and the lack of available road width means there is not the space needed to allow right turns between Victoria Street and SH22 until the new traffic lights become operational in March 2026. We have now started rebuilding the southern side of SH22 and throughout this month will continue pavement and underground utility services works in this area in preparation for the new traffic lights.



	SH1 south of Drury Interchange Last month, we removed vegetation and earth and then began underground utility services work on the southbound side of the motorway, including installing new stormwater pipes as shown in the photo above. These works will continue this month.

During the coming months, our project works include:

Continue enabling works on the northbound (west) side of SH1, south of Park Estate Road bridge
Finish building a small noisewall on the eastern side of SH1, north of Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa Stream
Continuing earthworks either side of Slippery Creek in preparation for road widening and bridge building works
Beginning to build a new southbound motorway bridge over Slippery Creek
Continuing pavement building works in the central motorway median between Slippery Creek and Drury Interchange
Continuing earthworks in the triangle gore areas between the motorway and the Drury southbound off and on-ramps
Continuing construction on the eastern side of the motorway between Drury Interchange and the Quarry Road overbridge
Continue installing soil nails on the southbound side of the motorway
Continuing underground service investigations around Drury Interchange, including on the motorway, Great South Road, SH22, Bremner Road, and Mercer Street
Continue dismantling and demolishing the Bremner Road bridge over Ngaakooroa Stream
Demolish Bremner Road bridge over SH1.

For further information regarding the project, please contact our team:

We thank you in advance for your patience during these important motorway upgrades.

Kind regards | Ngā mihi
The SH1 Papakura to Drury team