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RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
Roads around Auckland are expected to be busy on Monday, as people return to the city after the weekend’s work holidays. (File photo)
Traffic is piling up on Auckland’s highways as tourists return from their Labor weekend getaways.
Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said that as of 5 p.m. Monday, traffic was heavy both north and south of Auckland, and delays were expected on State Highway 1 between Mumbai and Drury.
Heavy patches were coming in on the north highway from Oteha Valley Rd and were back further north on SH1 at Warkworth and Wellsford.
Arterial routes around Mission Bay, Devonport and Whangaparāoa were also congested.
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Drivers were previously warned to prepare for slow trips and queues, as the roads around Auckland were expected to be jammed with tourists heading home.
Waka Kotahi said people planning to travel south on State Highway 1 should consider using SH16 instead because traffic is likely to be busy on SH1 heading south between Wellsford and Puhoi starting at 11 a.m. Monday.
According to Google maps, the journey from Warkworth to Auckland City took 1 hour and 35 minutes around 11.30am. M. It was 37 minutes longer than usual.
Traffic in the area was expected to remain busy until 5:00 p.m. M., But at 1:00 p.m. M., The congestion had cleared and it was taking about 50 minutes to travel from Warkworth to Auckland.
However, a little further north, through the Dome Valley between Wellsford and Warkworth, the road was congested.
Single Vehicle / Supplied
The North Auckland Expressway is heavily traveled, heading south, near Greville Rd.
NZTA traffic cameras showed that the northern highway was also quite busy around Greville Rd, heading south around 2.15pm.
Other sections of Auckland’s highways seemed to flow freely.
South of Auckland, traffic on SH1 is also expected to be busy northbound from Bombay to Manukau between 2pm and 5pm
SH2 is also expected to be busy between Waihi and Tauranga in both directions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., NZTA said.
People traveling to Auckland from both directions should expect delays and allow extra time for their trips, the NZTA warned.
Meanwhile, in Wellington, the NZTA warned that people should expect delays after a car was parked on the freeway.
The car had been blocking the south left lane, but was cleared at 3.45 pm
Police urged drivers to be patient on the roads Monday to ensure everyone is safe.
