A lane is blocked after a vehicle broke down in the Victoria Park Tunnel in central Auckland. Photo / NZTA

Live: Traffic chaos – breakdown, long delays in Auckland after wild weather partially closes Harbour Bridge

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Fri, 20 May 2022, 4:43PM

Motorists in Auckland are facing long delays on a number of key routes and motorways ahead of the afternoon rush hour.

Waka Kotahi's traffic report shows some commutes are taking more than double the time when traffic is free-flowing.

Wild weather lashed parts of the North Island today. while high winds over 95km/h forced a brief full closure of the Auckland Harbour Bridge this morning.

As of 3pm, the bridge had reopened with lane and speed restrictions.

Waka Kotahi warned Auckland motorists to avoid the Auckland Harbour bridge area or expect long delays.

Adding to the congestion, a broken-down vehicle is blocking the left northbound lane of the Victoria Park Tunnel on State Highway 1, which leads to the Harbour Bridge.

According to the Waka Kotahi traffic dashboard, driving from Manukau to Albany via SH1 was taking motorists around 1 hour and six minutes at 4pm (compared to 24 minutes when traffic is free-flowing) and driving from the City to Bombay was taking around 1 hour, (compared to 30 minutes).