The SH1 Papakura to Bombay project is part of a longer-term strategic transport network being investigated and delivered to support growth in South Auckland. Stage 1 of the project, Papakura to Drury, is currently being delivered as a Road of Regional Significance.
Project updates
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Traffic notices provide a brief overview of temporary night closures and road layout changes for the coming week. If you would like to receive these updates, please subscribe using the link to our sign up form below.
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Signalisation of Bombay Interchange updates
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Auckland is growing fast, and the south is the region’s largest future urban growth area. About 1.7 million people live in Auckland and over the next 30 years this could grow to reach 2.4 million.
Over the next 30 years, southern growth areas such as Pukekohe, Drury, Paerātā, and Takaanini, could provide up to 40,000 new homes, as well as new jobs. Investing in roading improvements play an important part in building a strategic transport network which reinforces the Southern Motorway’s function to support national and regional economic growth, meeting the needs of the people who live, work and travel in the area.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and KiwiRail have begun construction of key transport improvement projects for south Auckland planned to be completed within the next three years. This includes SH1 between Papakura and Drury, rail electrification to Pukekohe and three new rail stations between Drury and Paerātā.
The SH1 Papakura to Drury project’s improvements will support economic growth by improving access along and across the motorway, enhancing local connectivity and resilience allowing people and goods to get where they want to go more efficiently with more reliable journeys.
As part of the Papakura to Drury project, a walking and cycling path will be built next to the Southern Motorway, alongside the northbound lane.
It will extend the Southern Path opened in May 2021 as part of the Southern Corridor Improvements project.
CloseProtecting and enhancing the local environment is a prime consideration in our project planning.
This includes protecting and enhancing areas of environmental and heritage significance.
The project will ensure 100% treatment of stormwater from new and existing impervious surfaces within the project area to improve local water quality.
Flooding to the east of SH1 along Chichester Drive has been identified through consultation with Auckland Council. This flooding will be alleviated by replacing culvert pipes crossing under the motorway with larger sized ones, allowing more water to flow through.
The project is required to complete and maintain Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) certification. The ISC system is an international sustainability rating tool that is designed to drive good sustainability outcomes.
CloseCoordination with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, as well as interest groups and community groups, will ensure that the project recognises cultural history and utilises local knowledge to help the project team understand the areas it is working in and how best to design for safety and accessibility.
CloseNZTA meets with potentially affected property owners to understand how they use their land and how the project design could be refined to reduce the impact on their properties. We will continue our engagement with property owners as the project progresses.
CloseThe Papakura to Drury section (Stage 1) of the wider Papakura to Bombay project has been consented and is being constructed in stages as a Road of Regional Significance.
After being consented in 2020, construction began on Stage 1A (green) in April 2021. Construction is now complete except for final resurfacing in asphalt, being undertaken in October/November 2024. This stage comprises widening and upgrades to the motorway between Papakura and the BP motorway service centre, while the shared use path component will be delivered as part of Stages 1B1 and 1B2.
Stages 1B1 (orange) and 1B2 (charcoal) were consented separately but will now be constructed together as ‘Stage 1B’, expected to begin in late 2024. (Note: an early works package to build three new bridges over the rail line at Drury Interchange ahead of KiwiRail’s electrification of the line had been completed in early 2024.)
The two sub-stages were approved under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 in November 2021 and June 2023 respectively. Stage 1B2 was separated out from Stage 1B1 for consenting purposes to allow appropriate time and consideration of the project’s impact on Oopaheke, an identified site of cultural significance spanning both sides of the motorway at Otuuwairoa / Slippery Creek.
Design plans showing plans for Stage 1
Stage 2 of the wider Papakura to Bombay project is a planning project that will protect the route and land required for future improvements to the SH1 Southern Motorway between Drury and Bombay. There is currently no funding earmarked for the delivery of Stage 2, meaning there is no confirmed timeframe for construction at this stage.
NZTA lodged its Notices of Requirement for Stage 2 of the project with Auckland Council in mid-February 2024. This step began a statutory process under the Resource Management Act 1991 that will provide greater certainty for the community and landowners of NZTA’s transport plans in the area, and protect the land required for future motorway improvements.
The Notices of Requirement for Stage 2 were notified by Auckland Council on 14 June 2024 and the public was invited to make submissions. A Hearing before Commissioners appointed by Council is scheduled to be held in Pukekohe beginning on 19 November 2024.
Design plans showing plans for Stage 2 [PDF, 13 MB]
Route protection questions and answers [PDF, 214 KB]
There is a standalone project to install traffic lights at Bombay Interchange in 2024. Visit the ‘Bombay Interchange Signalisation’ tab of the website to learn more about this project.
