ACCIONA and our Eastern Busway partners have accomplished something exceptional: compressing 5 months and 6 separate traffic stages of traditional construction work into just over 2 weeks.

Between 10pm 26 December 2025 and 5am 12 January 2026, we completed 29 shifts to deliver a complex intersection upgrade so we could minimise long-term disruption to road users, businesses, and the community.

Alliance Project Director, Andy Gibbard was proud to deliver this complex intersection upgrade on time and under budget, while dramatically reducing disruption to the community. 

"Prior to the construction of Rā Hihi – flyover, this was New Zealand’s busiest intersection by vehicle movements," Mr Gibbard said

This achievement demonstrates what's possible when partners work together with a shared commitment to excellence." He said.

Delivery Highlights

The scale of this operation was unprecedented for our project. Our peak workforce reached 102 people during the record-breaking concrete pour shift, which saw 780m³ of lean mix concrete placed in a single operation, the largest pavement concrete pour to date for the project.

This involved coordinating 4 concrete plants, 30 concrete trucks in continuous operation, and 4 concrete pumps working simultaneously.

Across the 29 shifts (348 hours), we completed the full scope of work including deconstruction of existing infrastructure, installing special heat-absorbing material alongside Transpower's underground 220kV cable, earthworks, installation of drainage systems, construction of 780m³ of concrete pavement, placement of 1,800 tonnes of asphalt, new traffic signals and signage, landscaping, line marking, and successful commissioning of the intersection.

Collaboration at Its Best

This success was built on robust planning and coordination with our alliance partners.

Key collaborative achievements included the early installation of 3.5m drainage manholes to address flooding issues, extensive pavement investigations that informed design decisions, and design collaboration that allowed us to retain existing granular pavement - saving 36 hours from the programme.

Outstanding Outcomes

• On-time delivery: Completed on schedule without requiring contingency shifts
• Cost savings: Project delivered under budget
• Minimised disruption: Dramatically reduced long-term impact on the community
• Programme acceleration: Early completion unlocked downstream work areas along Ti Rākau Drive ahead of schedule.
• Delivered results that exceed traditional construction methods.