Viaduct restrictions threaten traffic chaos

Buses are replacing trains this weekend. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Buses are replacing Auckland trains this weekend - as the Transport Agency also warns of traffic delays while it closes most of the Newmarket Viaduct's southbound lanes.

The coincidence of the two events has been described as "madness" by a Middlemore Hospital worker, who is dreading having to travel through the city by bus to catch a ferry tomorrow morning.

"Who makes these decisions or have I got this wrong?" Robyn Lynch asked in an email to the Herald.

The northbound carriageway will remain open but one of its three southbound lanes will close for up to 18 hours from 6pm on Sunday for major works.

The Transport Agency needs to keep the southbound carriageway largely free of traffic to allow 40 truckloads of concrete to set, in a delicate operation to "stitch" it to a new northbound viaduct as part of a $215 million project.

It warns of heavy traffic on a diversionary route through Newmarket, and is advising drivers heading for destinations such as the airport to give the area a wide berth, possibly using the South Western Motorway instead.

And this weekend Auckland Transport is providing buses to replace trains while KiwiRail undertakes preliminary work ahead of a month-long shutdown of lines from the week before Christmas.

Spokeswoman Sharon Hunter said the organisation had little choice, as there were few spare weekends available in the run up to Christmas to carry out "important work on the rail network as we lead to some very significant developments."

The agency expects the greatest traffic pressure tomorrow morning, although it is also warning of delays for southbound fans after a concert at Vector Arena tonight by the Australian rock band Cold Chisel.