Most drivers, commuters used Transmission Gully highway road when it opened, data shows

Data shows 85 per cent of southbound morning commuters made the switch to using Transmission Gully when the road opened yesterday.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has reported a noticeable reduction in congestion after the first full day of operation for the new road, which has been gifted the name Te Ara Nui o Te Rangihaeata.

Transmission Gully is the new State Highway 1 and replaces the old coastal route, which is now SH59.

Waka Kotahi maintenance and operations regional manager Mark Owen said he was pleased with how the network was flowing.

"We're getting great feedback about the positive difference that the new route is making across the entire network, and especially for coastal communities along SH59.

"With the bulk of journeys being made on SH1, we expect to see ongoing improvements to safety, access and journeys for those communities."

Owen said people should be aware the road would likely be very busy over the weekend as people took the opportunity to drive on it.

Waka Kotahi data showed about 85 per cent of all southbound morning journeys between 7am and 9am were made on Transmission Gully.

The remaining 15 per cent continued to use the existing coastal route.

The vast majority, 80 per cent, of heavy vehicles chose to use Transmission Gully.

While Waka Kotahi has pitched the first day of the new road as "running smoothly", there have been some teething issues.

Motorists were left with chipped and cracked windscreens yesterday because of the fresh chipseal.

Speed limits were temporarily reduced to 70km/h in some sections and the road was swept overnight.

Waka Kotahi also reported some issues at Linden in both northbound and southbound directions.

Drivers have been seen cutting across three lanes of traffic and making last-second changes to get onto Transmission Gully.

The merge at Linden is a new layout that might not be familiar to Wellington commuters and was designed to help avoid any possible safety or congestion issues, Owen said.

He said people should merge and change lanes safely, as well as taking some time to become familiar with the network.

"We would especially like to encourage people driving in the left lane coming from SH1 Transmission Gully to wait until they're near the end of the lane before merging. This gives everyone more time to notice other vehicles and prepare for a safe and efficient merge.

"Please, be patient, be courteous, and be safe.