Auckland traffic: Delays on Southern Motorway near Ellerslie after crash

A crash is causing delays on Auckland's southern motorway near Ellerslie this morning. Image / Waka Kotahi NZTA

A crash is causing delays on Auckland's Southern Motorway early this morning.

Emergency services are responding to an incident on State Highway 1, heading north, which is blocking lanes by the Ellerslie Panmure off-ramp after the Penrose Rd overbridge.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport issued an alert on Twitter just after 6.30am, telling motorists: "Pass with extra care and expect delays until lanes can be cleared."

An image captured by a traffic camera shows at least two vehicles involved - with one of them now sitting across two lanes. The other has stopped near the off-ramp.

UPDATE 7:35AM
This crash now fully cleared, leaving heavy congestion northbound from Manukau to Ellerslie. Consider using #SH20 (via Waterview Tunnel) to travel north this morning. ^TP https://t.co/Vpo6U9MCTW

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) August 9, 2021

A third car can be seen with its headlights on, parked just to the side of the motorway.

It is not yet known whether anyone has been injured in the collision.

Road authorities said at 7.35am that the crash scene was now fully cleared - but that heavy congestion, northbound, from Manukau to Ellerslie was now the issue.

Motorists heading into town from South Auckland are being told to consider using SH20 via the Waterview Tunnel to travel north this morning.

At one point, it was taking an hour and 48 minutes to travel from Manukau to Albany via SH1 and the Auckland Harbour Bridge this morning.

8am update

By 8am, it was taking an hour and six minutes to make the trip, according to the NZTA Auckland traffic dashboard website. The trip usually takes about 24 minutes, it says.

A police spokeswoman described the crash as a minor one which had shut down one lane near Ellerslie, by 6.43am.

A motorist heading in from Manurewa told the Herald about 6.45am that traffic was backed up to Ōtāhuhu and was at a standstill at times.

Overhead motorway signs indicated that lanes were closed, she said.