Auckland gridlock: Keep off the roads, NZTA warns

Motorists are being told to keep off the roads as crashes and breakdowns cause major traffic problems across Auckland's motorways.

The morning rush-hour traffic is crawling on stretches of the Northern, South-western and Southern motorways.

The congestion is so bad the New Zealand Transport Agency is asking motorists to delay their travel if possible.

An earlier crash, now cleared, has left drivers on the Northern Motorway from Oteha Valley Rd to the city with an hour-long commute.

Just before 7am the transport agency warned it would take an hour to travel from Oteha Valley across the Auckland Harbour Bridge and into the central city.

Motorists were advised to consider taking State Highway 18 and even State Highway 16 to get in to town faster.

Now a spokeswoman said those routes were packed with vehicles and slowgoing with a crash now blocking one of the alternative routes.

The headache was worsened with recent crashes on the South-western Motorway and a breakdown on the Southern Motorway at the busy Newmarket Viaduct.

While all incidents were minor they had added up to a larger problem during peak travel, she said.