KEY POINTS:
Motorists faced yet another slow grind back to Auckland yesterday after the holiday weekend. By city standards it wasn't too bad - scant consolation to those trapped in their cars in afternoon sun on their way home.
Transit said last night traffic had been heavy from mid-afternoon south of Auckland and at the usual logjam between Warkworth and Orewa north of the Harbour Bridge. Many travellers were taking the alternative SH16 route which, combined with no major accidents on SH1, meant only small queues.
The long-term solution to the holiday traffic snarl-up is a toll road between Orewa and Puhoi. But it is not due to open until 2009. Work is well under way to build the Northern motorway extension but the last hurdle could be a court battle to determine whether the tolling is legal. Transit is still working out details of a toll collection system.
