Transit searches for way to avoid chaos in Mangere

Important engineering work on Mangere Bridge is under review after lane closures left motorists stewing for hours in traffic jams.

Transit New Zealand has been forced to reconsider a $2 million-plus work programme to avoid a repeat of last weekend's debacle, one of Auckland's worst traffic jams.

Although determined to complete the replacement of six heavy expansion joints under the bridge, Transit has postponed the next round of lane closures while it reviews the works schedule.

It had intended to close both northbound lanes of the bridge from this coming Friday night until Monday morning to allow the second of the two-tonne joints to be replaced.

That was also the closure period planned for last weekend, but Transit rushed to reopen the lanes on Sunday morning after a day of mammoth traffic jams in sweltering heat.

The highways agency kept both southbound lanes open to ensure travellers did not miss flights from Auckland Airport, but traffic heading in the other direction banked up several kilometres south of the bridge from early on Saturday.

Transit blamed a fatal truck crash for further chaos on a detour route around Manukau Harbour, but a Herald staff member said traffic was almost gridlocked when he eventually reached the Coronation Rd off-ramp at 7.40am, at least half an hour before the smash.

"There were three lanes of traffic trying to get into one lane and no one there directing us - the only traffic control seemed to be a truck parked across the motorway."

Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis said last night that although Transit generally managed traffic very well, the agency blew it on Saturday.

"They needed a decent communications strategy. They failed to develop one, and created mayhem and chaos on the streets of Manukau," said Sir Barry, who phoned Transit chairman David Stubbs at home in Whitianga on Saturday to complain about the disruption.

"The whole place was congested, people from overseas were leaving Auckland International Airport and finishing up in the Mangere village shopping area, and getting out and asking people, 'How the hell do we get to downtown Auckland'."

Transit's northern regional manager, Richard Hancy, said the agency had decided to postpone lane closures for the coming weekend as it reviewed the work schedule for installing the remaining five expansion joints.

But he hoped a new plan, involving shorter closures and multiple detours, would be ready for the work to resume the weekend after next.