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As winter has been, overall, quite dry, it has allowed roadworkers to make solid progress on the Papakura to Drury (P2D) project. Overseen by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), the project is expected to future-proof the Southern Motorway and surrounding roads as Franklin’s population booms.
A traffic shift is now in place on northbound traffic lanes between Drury Interchange and Slippery Creek / Otuuwairoa stream. This is required to create a new work zone in the central median of the motorway as the installation of stormwater pipes continue.
Workers have started to lay asphalt as work on the new southbound SH1 bridge over Slippery Creek is completed. NZTA expects that southbound traffic will be moved over to the new bridge in October.
Central piles for the new bridge – Bremner Road over Ngaakooroa Stream – have now been completed. Workers will start driving in the steel pile casings for the eastern bridge pier, which is expected to take up to five weeks to complete. The piles are further away from the overhead Transpower lines and will not require any shutdowns or extended working hours overnight.
The retaining wall beside SH1 remains a work in progress, but NZTA predicts it will be done by October. Once the wall is completed, the temporary earth platform in front of it will be removed, revealing the wall behind.
More work has also been completed at the Drury Interchange for the new motorway bridge over Great South Road.
At SH22 / Great South Road, concrete has been poured for a new footpath on the northern side of Great South Road.
For more information, including the next steps for this epic project, click here.
