KEY POINTS:
A group of protesters blocked roads this morning as the first half of Wellington's inner city bypass opened to motorists.
Sergeant Colin Graham of the police central communications centre said police had received a report that about eight protesters were blocking the roads at the intersection of Taranaki, Buckle and Arthur Sts.
"We got a call about 7am, apparently the time the bypass was due to open," he told NZPA.
"We've got staff there trying to deal with it at the moment."
The bypass is designed to provide a less congested, safer and more efficient route through central Wellington, between the Terrace Tunnel and Basin Reserve, Transit said.
It has been a controversial project, with regular protests by opponents to the new road.
Construction began on the project in January last year and is scheduled to be completed in the middle of next year when the southbound section will open.
- NZPA
