State Highway 20 was blocked heading north this afternoon after a serious crash. Photo / NZTA
State Highway 20 was blocked heading north this afternoon after a serious crash. Photo / NZTA
Congestion is finally easing after a chaotic evening on Auckland's motorway network caused by crashes and the burial of one of the Christchurch mosque shooting victims.
Auckland's Southwestern Motorway was closed this afternoon between Neilson St off-ramp and Hillsborough Rd for all northbound traffic.
It followed a four-vehicle crash that left a motorcyclist with serious injuries on the stretch of State Highway 20.
The crash occurred on the northbound lanes before the Queenstown Rd off-ramp and was reported around 3.20pm. The northbound lanes between Neilson St off-ramp and Hillsborough Rd were closed for just over an hour.
Traffic backed up, causing huge delays, with rubberneckers adding to the chaos.
NZTA posted footage of traffic at a standstill and warned motorists to avoid the area.
UPDATE 4.15PM Due to a serious crash, #SH20 is now CLOSED for all NORTHBOUND traffic between the Neilson Street off-ramp and the Hillsborough on-ramp. Please consider using an alternative route and be prepared for delays. ^MF https://t.co/VAif2BnGU2
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) March 21, 2019
The problems were compounded when thousands of people attended a burial for a victim of the Christchurch mosque attacks in South Auckland.
A funeral for Imam Hafiz Musa Patel, killed in the Christchurch terror attacks, is taking place at the Puhinui Rd cemetery in Manukau at 4pm.
Traffic from the airport on SH20A was backed up to Landing Drive.
The Memorial Gardens service was expected to last about an hour and then people would leave, adding to the congestion, NZTA warned this afternoon.
A truck breakdown on the Northern Motorway and a crash on the Southern Motorway added to motorists' woes.
However, in a statement issued at 8.28pm, NZTA said congestion was finally easing across the motorway network after a "very busy afternoon".
At one stage traffic became gridlocked in the airport precinct, Auckland Operations Manager Rua Pani said.
The situation developed as thousands headed to a burial ceremony at the Manukau Memorial Gardens, next to where SH1 meets SH20B, the main route to the airport from the south.
The event was scheduled for 4pm, which roughly coincided with the start of the evening peak congestion period, Pani said.
"We only found out about the Memorial Gardens event late yesterday so there wasn't much time to plan for it. We also didn't know how many people would come to the event.
"We got the word out that people heading to and from the airport would likely be affected and needed to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys."
The motorway congestion was further exacerbated by a serious crash which closed all northbound lanes on State Highway 20 at Queenstown Rd for 90 minutes. All lanes reopened at about 5pm.
"It has taken several hours for the network to return to normal after what has been quite a day.
"We acknowledge that some people will have had their travel plans seriously inconvenienced and it's been a frustrating time for many. But this was a fast-moving situation with the Memorial Gardens event, the crash on SH20 and then a house fire by the motorway at Puhinui creating an extremely challenging situation to manage."
NZTA, Police and Auckland Airport thanked motorists for their patience and understanding.
