Traffic jams likely as viaduct closes

Aucklanders are asked to celebrate Father's Day close to home to minimise disruption during the closure of the Newmarket Viaduct's southbound lanes this Sunday.

The southern motorway between Gillies Ave and Greenlane will be closed to southbound traffic for up to 36 hours from 5pm tomorrow.

This will allow final work to be carried out before the first stage of the new viaduct opens to traffic on Monday.

NGA Newmarket communications manager Gez Johns says the best option is to avoid all non-essential travel on Sunday.

"We're encouraging all motorists to avoid the area like the plague," he says.

The southbound Hobson St, Khyber Pass Rd and Symonds St onramps will also be closed during this time.

The motorway is scheduled to reopen at 5am on Monday, but Mr Johns is confident work will be completed and the road open by midnight Sunday.

The New Zealand Transport Agency estimates up to 60,000 cars will have to be diverted through local roads during the closure.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority is providing free train travel from 5pm tomorrow and throughout Sunday.

There will also be extra services and longer trains to cope with the expected increase in demand.

The new stretch of road will be connected to the motorway and new lane markings painted before all 140 metres of the 800-tonne blue gantry are pushed on to the northern end of the old southbound viaduct so dismantling can begin.

Once the old southbound lanes are dismantled a fourth southbound lane will be built.

The fourth lane heading south is set to be open in January.

There will remain only three lanes heading north but Mr Johns says the viaduct will be built so it can be realigned to fit four lanes if necessary in the future.

- © Fairfax NZ News