KEY POINTS:
A man driving a road safety truck which directs motorway traffic during roadworks was found to be drunk behind the wheel.
He blew a breath test showing him to be more than twice the legal alcohol limit after the police stopped him on the Northern Motorway this week.
The Herald understands the Transit New Zealand contractor was driving a large vehicle that displays flashing arrow lights to redirect motorists during roadworks when his colleagues became concerned about his behaviour on Monday afternoon.
They called the police, who breath-tested him.
Transit spokesman Ewart Barnsley said the man worked for a contracting company and was part of a team that was involved in resurfacing part of the Northern Motorway north of Silverdale.
The contracting company was investigating the incident, which took place about 3.30pm.
Inspector Dave Walker, police manager of Auckland's motorways, said a man had blown more than twice the legal limit, but he could not go into details as the case was before the courts.
The man did not elect to have a blood test, so a summons would be sent to him and he would probably appear in court on drink-driving charges in the next week or two.
Because of the high reading, his licence would have been suspended, meaning he could no longer drive the safety vehicle.
Transit is spending $5 million on resealing 3km of the Northern Motorway between Oteha Valley Rd in Albany and Silverdale before winter to fix cracks likely to cause widespread surface failures if left unfilled.
The work is due to be finished on Monday, May 5.
