TRANSPORT

SH1 Papakura to Drury Upgrade

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi · Auckland

A $655m NZ Upgrade Programme widening of SH1 to three lanes each way over about 6km from Papakura to Drury South, with rebuilt interchanges and a shared path. Alongside it KiwiRail has added three stations: Drury and Paerata opened on 2 August 2026, the first passenger services there since 1972. Stage 1B is due to complete in 2030.

Strongest delivery signals Data: High

Delivery Confidence Score, 0 to 100, higher is better: a ranking of how strong this project's delivery signals are, not a probability. It blends eight factors, including the election risk and policy alignment shown below.

Breakdown▾

Data current as at 16 Sept 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.

Key facts

Region: Auckland
Sector: Transport
Status: Under Construction
Estimated value: $655m
Indicative completion: 2030
Funding status: Fully Funded
Lead organisation: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
Election risk: Low

Election risk assessment

NZ Upgrade Programme project, fully funded and well under construction, low political risk.

Government priority alignment

HIGH: Growth and freight corridor upgrade with public-transport provision.

Recent changes

2026-W37Major New project added: SH1 Papakura to Drury Upgrade (Under Construction, $655m).

Chronology

2020Funded under the NZ Upgrade Programme
2023Construction under way
2026Drury and Paerātā stations opened (2 August); Ngākōroa station targeted 2027; motorway widening progressing
2026Drury and Paerata railway stations open on the Southern Line (2 August), the first passenger services there since 1972
2027expectedNgakoroa station due to open
2030expectedStage 1B of the motorway widening due to complete

Source

NZTA ↗ · Auckland Transport: new Drury and Paerata railway stations open ↗ · Beehive: construction to begin on the next stage of Papakura to Drury ↗

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