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Holiday weekend hell: SH1 and SH2 closed north of Wellington

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Fri, 19 Oct 2018, 7:38AM
Trucks queued near Pukerua Bay after crash on SH1 this morning. Photo / Rosalie Willis / Kapiti News
Trucks queued near Pukerua Bay after crash on SH1 this morning. Photo / Rosalie Willis / Kapiti News

Holiday weekend hell: SH1 and SH2 closed north of Wellington

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Fri, 19 Oct 2018, 7:38AM

Things are going from bad to worse on Wellington roads.

Both State Highway 1 and State Highway 2 north of the city are now closed due to crashes.

Police said SH2 is completely blocked at Rimutaka Hill after two trucks became stuck on a corner.

SH2 is also closed at Waihi, after three cars have crashed.

State Highway 1 will now remain closed until further notice.

The Highway is closed between Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton due to a truck crash early this morning.

The truck and trailer unit carrying hazardous substances rolled on State Highway 1 north of Porirua, leaking chemicals on to the road and closing the road for most of the day.

NZTA Systems Manager Mark Owen said motorists need to appreciate that Paekakariki Hill Road is a tight, steep and windy road and people need to drive with caution, watch for oncoming traffic on the tight corners and also allow extra time for their travel.

"Holiday weekends are always busy and with the increase in traffic on the road and with this added road closure we are expecting more congestion and delays through this area.

"We ask motorists to consider delaying their travel and where possible, consider leaving once the road has reopened and the traffic is lighter."

Once SH1 is open it will take some time to clear the truck from the road.

The highway is closed in both directions between Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton after the single-vehicle incident at 3.45am.

Police are warning the road could remain closed until late this afternoon.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was seeking advice on how best to deal with the chemicals, a spokeswoman said.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries.

Witnesses said there was a large emergency service presence at the scene, with major detours in place.

The detour for the road closure on SH1 is via Paekākāriki Hill Rd but is only suitable for light vehicles.

Police said trucks were being stopped from travelling north and south on the detour.

Cars are u-turning at the roundabout near Palmers Garden Centre in Plimmerton.

Local resident Grant Patterson says the road up the coast was quiet.

"There are no cars on the road at all on the way to Pukerua Bay from what I can see and there are about 10 trucks jammed in at the weigh station."

NZTA regional transport system manager Mark Owen said the incident was going to have a significant impact throughout this morning and probably the rest of the day.

"Obviously we are very conscious that lots of people want to head out of town for the long weekend so we'll be working through the morning to work out what the plans are."

It remains unclear when the road will reopen.

Those in the Paraparaumu and Waikanae areas have been advised to work from home if they can.

Owen said crews would work with truck drivers at both ends of the road closure.

"Typically we just stack them up and they'll just have to wait until we get more advice about what the options are."

The detour route had been scheduled to close today from midday until 9pm to keep holidaymakers safe.

That was due to the risk to drivers from both the steep, winding road and merging with holiday traffic on State Highway 1.

Owen said Paekākāriki Hill Rd was tight and torturous and not a highway.

He said motorists needed to be patient and careful.

"There are some fairly blind corners on that road and we want to try and keep the speeds down and keep that route open and safe for everyone that needs to use it."

Meanwhile, several crashes have been reported across the Auckland transport network meaning delays for commuters trying to get to work on time ahead of the long weekend.

Crashes have been reported on the Northwestern Motorway and Southern Motorway.

Northern Motorway

Traffic heavy for citybound between Tristram Ave and Onewa Rd.

Free flowing for southbound.

Southern Motorway

Traffic heavy for citybound between Papakura and Takanini then between Penrose Rd and Greenlane.

Free flowing for southbound.

Northwestern Motorway

Heavy through Royal Rd due to a crash blocking middle lane linked to the Southern Motorway just after Newton Rd, causing delays back to Rosebank Rd.

Westbound and Waterview Tunnel is free-flowing.

Southwestern Motorway

Southbound traffic is heavy through Maioro St and Queenstown Rd.

Freeflowing for northbound and Waterview Tunnel.

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