Traffic is finally easing across Auckland city after hours gridlocked traffic, with the closure of the Curran St on-ramp causing queues to snake through Ponsonby.
Shortly after 6.30pm, NZTA said traffic was easing around the Auckland motorway network but motorists should still expect congestion in both directions when approaching the harbour bridge.
Traffic was reduced to a crawl along Jervois Rd, College Hill, Shelley Beach Rd and Beaumont St, tonight, with cars at a standstill along Franklin Rd frustrated motorists desperate to get home.
Strauss Bessell, a health and safety officer left a Wellesley St job site at 3pm bound for Northcote, a journey that usually takes him 15-20 mins.
Google Maps sent him via the closed Curran St motorway on-ramp and he was still on the road at 7.30pm.
He told Focus Live reporter Will Trafford he'd decided to park up in the Westhaven carpark and head to commercial bay for dinner, before trying his luck again at 9pm.
One woman said her husband went to Ponsonby to enter via the Curran St on-ramp at 3.15pm.
Four hours later, Ed Sng had only made it as far as College Hill.
"The traffic only seems to be moving an inch every 10 minutes," he said.
He'd ducked into a BP along Jervois Rd to fill up his car with petrol and go to the toilet but had been stuck in his car ever since.
Another motorist said they tried to reach top of Shelly Beach Rd to head to Mt Eden.
"After travelling 200 metres in 45 mins turned right to travel back from where I had come - in total 1hr 30mins!"
The motorist said there wasn't a points person or notification to show Curran St on-ramp as being closed for those wanting to travel over the bridge.
"Traffic lights a complete mess as well. Perhaps traffic points people could do a better job. Another example of no plan B."
Traffic was heaving along the motorway and through Westhaven marina, with a NZTA camera showing lengthy queues along the Northern motorway from Onewa Rd.
A rush-hour crash along Beaumont St caused further headaches for many, blocking a lane southbound near Fisher Point Drive.
Emergency services were called to the central city street shortly after 5.30pm, following a crash between a motorcycle and a car.
"The motorcyclist has being taken to hospital with moderate injuries," a police spokesman said.
The lane had reopened by 6.30pm.
FINAL UPDATE 6:20PM
— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) September 21, 2020
The crash has been CLEARED. ^MF https://t.co/WRuEJH4mDt
Today's never-ending peak comes after NZTA was forced to close half of the Auckland Harbour Bridge to make urgent repairs to a damaged strut after two truck crashes closed four lanes on Friday.
It followed a hellish morning commute for many, with traffic crawling across parts of the motorway network.
Waka Kotahi/NZTA's bus priority system on State Highway 1 northbound to the Auckland Harbour Bridge forced the closure the Curran St on-ramp, clogging up roads throughout Ponsonby.
AT says the bus priority system would allow buses easier access the SH1 northbound on-ramp at Fanshawe St via a priority lane, reducing congestion.
This bus priority system will merge with other traffic near the closed Curran St on-ramp.
But one frustrated commuter said buses weren't even moving through the city, let alone over the bridge via the priority lane.
Despite leaving their work in Grafton around 4.25pm via public transport, she said she was stuck in standstill traffic and hadn't even reached Victoria Park by 6pm.
"The buses aren't anywhere near full, it leads me to question why there are so many half empty buses clogging the roads," she said.
SH1 AKL HBR BRIDGE - DELAYS - 6:30PM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) September 21, 2020
Traffic is starting to ease around the Akl Mwy network with the #WRR flowing well. Expect congestion (in both directions) approaching the Akl Harbour Bridge. Compare travel times between #SH1 and #WRR here: https://t.co/oV6eV0Fd85. ^MF pic.twitter.com/YirALKMtSf
And the closure wreaked havoc throughout Ponsonby, with traffic snaking up College Hill and around the surrounding central streets.
One motorist told the Herald that cars that would normally taken the Curran St on-ramp were now forced to take a longer, alternative route, blocking arterial roads such as College Hill.
"There were no signs that the Curran St on-ramp was closed until I got well along Jervois Rd," she said.
"I'm sitting here in absolute chaos and it's only going to get worse."
Another motorist said they tried to reach top of Shelly Beach Rd to head to Mt Eden in vain.
"After travelling 200 metres in 45 mins turned right to travel back from where I had come - in total 1hr 30mins!"
They said there wasn't a points person or notification to show Curran St on-ramp as being closed for those wanting to travel over the bridge.
"Traffic lights a complete mess as well. Perhaps traffic points people could do a better job. Another example of no plan B."
Motorists were urged to take alternate routes if possible.
To help reduce congestion for buses to the North Shore a bus priority system has been implemented (northbound) prior to the Harbour Bridge. This bus priority system will merge with other traffic near Curran St on-ramp, which is now CLOSED. More: https://t.co/deWDGjVy6I. ^MF pic.twitter.com/nVu2BrapN6
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) September 21, 2020
Newstalk ZB's Time saver Traffic warns the current hotspots are:
• The Northern Motorway northbound is very slow and is currently taking around 20 minutes to reach the harbour bridge from the start of the tail at Newmarket
• The Upper Harbour motorway is slow eastbound heading to the Northern Motorway, with traffic back up to the Greenhithe Bridge
• The Northwestern Motorway is slow westbound from the city to Te Atatu
Shortly after 3pm commuters attempting to beat the rush to get home were already facing delays, with building along roads leaving Auckland's CBD for the North Shore.
Halsey St near Victoria Park was packed with vehicles trying to make the corner onto Fanshawe St, meanwhile, the on-ramp onto the Northern Motorway was completely full.
Traffic was crawling from out of the Victoria Tunnel, with four lanes open before shutting down to two before the Shelly Beach Rd overpass.
However, traffic on the bridge was steadily making its way over to the North Shore without much trouble. Southbound, congestion is building from the bridge all the way past Esmonde Rd.
With lanes reduced on the Harbour Bridge you can check current travel times online to compare ‘Manukau to Albany’ via either SH1 (via Hbr Bridge) vs SH18/16/20 (WRR) here: https://t.co/oV6eV0Fd85 while ‘City to Silverdale’ compares times to/from the North Shore. ^TP pic.twitter.com/SAGxAev1Ol
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) September 21, 2020
Shortly before 3.30pm, two people in high-visibility work gear were in a cherry picker, appearing to be assessing the damage along the bridge.
Two other workers were standing below but no others could be seen. Traffic heading down Onewa Rd and onto the motorway is almost non-existent.
Only four lanes on the bridge are open and this is expected to remain the case for several weeks so temporary repairs can be made.
This means the bridge will be operating at half its normal capacity, pushing traffic out to the Western Ring Route and other state highways and local roads.
The commute home to the North Shore for one reporter took 40 minutes, after leaving the CBD about 3pm.
The reporter said the commute was about standard, or slightly longer than heading home during peak hour normally.
Auckland commuters faced horrendous travel times on the main routes into central Auckland this morning - even as late as 11am - with expected journey times from the top of the northern motorway to the CBD still taking up to three times longer than normal.
And the nightmare commute wasn't helped by an earlier crash on a stretch of busy North Shore motorway, further adding to the headache motorists already faced on the congested roads.
With motorists keen to avoid being caught up in the anticipated traffic jam, the morning peak started at sunrise around 6.30am, with traffic easily eclipsing rush-hour levels an hour before usual.
This meant at 7am motorists faced an hour-long trip heading into Auckland's CBD from Albany - a 20km trip - which would have taken just 20 minutes at the same time last week.
Today the AA said while the delays were heavy this morning they weren't a patch on Friday's carnage.
But traffic had stayed very heavy until well after the normal morning rush-hour. Even at 10.30am, it was taking nearly half an hour to get into the CBD from Albany.
The hefty delays have prompted NZTA to ask motorists who have only come out of the city's second lockdown three weeks ago to consider staying home or travelling outside peak times.
While a lot of commuters were suffering, it could have been worse.
The AA said it was clear a lot of people had got the message and were changing the time they travelled, the route they usually took, or were working from home today.
Waka Kotahi/NZTA's senior journey manager Neil Walker said the four lanes' continued closure, for what is likely several weeks, would cause "significant disruption" to many commuters.
"If you must travel, avoid peak times in the morning and evening and allow extra time for your journey," he said.
"Heavy congestion and delays are expected on both sides of the bridge as well as other state highways and local roads."
Motorists were encouraged to instead take the Western Ring Route, but this route would be especially busy as only half of the normal capacity can now travel across the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Despite lengthy waits for many motorists, Auckland Transport says Northern buses were running close to time this morning.
Waka Kotahi Engineer Caleb Perry takes us below the Auckland Harbour Bridge to explain what happened when an integral part of the bridge structure was hit and what's been done to secure the beam. pic.twitter.com/7TRjWPy3qO
— Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency news (@WakaKotahi_news) September 21, 2020
AT's chief executive Shane Ellison says that on the busway at 7am, the trip from Albany to the city took around 30 minutes, with no delays going northbound.
In a car, the same journey was 90 minutes.
"Our joint operations centre with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been monitoring traffic 24/7 and adjusting traffic signals in real time," he said.
"We're looking at making some changes to give buses priority at pinch points like the top of Onewa Rd at Birkenhead.
"There were no capacity issues or long waits at busway stations or ferry terminals this morning, there were seats available on buses and ferries.
"We've seen a lot of familiar faces return to public transport this morning after driving during the Covid crisis, early reports suggest passengers numbers were up 20 to 30 per cent on last Monday."
Passenger use on the Birkenhead and Devonport ferries was also up more than 30 per cent this morning, Ellison said.
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