Auckland traffic: Delays starting to build throughout the city as evening commute begins

Traffic throughout the Auckland region and its motorways is starting to bulge as motorists hit the streets on their commute home.

Those on the Southern Motorway have faced delays already this afternoon following a breakdown heading north and a crash heading south.

Both incidents were quickly resolved, NZ Transport Agency reports, but traffic levels swelled and disruptions have increased.

Following a crash near Greenlane, traffic is slow on the Southern Motorway heading away from the city to Greenlane, and heavy in patches from Highbrook to Takanini.

Northbound, meanwhile, traffic is heavy at Papakura and heavy from Highbrook to Greenlane.

On the Northern Motorway, those moving northwards can expect heavy traffic in patches between the Harbour Bridge and Upper Harbour Highway.

Moving back towards the city, traffic is heavy at Greville Rd and again between Esmonde Rd and the Harbour Bridge.

There is a queue for the Northern Link on the Northwestern Motorway heading south, with traffic heavy moving north between Newton Rd and Bond St, again between Great North Rd and Lincoln Rd.

Meanwhile, those heading southbound on the Southwestern Motorway can expect heavy traffic from Mangere Bridge to Massey Rd, again approaching the Southern Link.

Moving northwards, traffic is heavy at times between Puhinui Rd and Neilson St.

Both directions of the Upper Harbour Highway are free-flowing eastbound and westbound.

This morning, traffic levels were woeful on the Southern Motorway between Bombay and Papakura with the journey taking 80 minutes.

On a normal day, the commute only takes 12 minutes.

At peak gridlock, the average speed to travel the 15km stretch of motorway was just 11km/h this morning - the pace of an energetic jogger.

The dreaded trip through Papakura, which is slow on the best of days, took five times as long as normal due to a crash between a truck and a car.