A burst water main caused chaos for Auckland commuters on Monday morning after it put major motorway ramps out of commission, with motorists warned to expect delays and avoid the area.
In a tweet shortly after 6am, Auckland Transport (AT) confirmed southbound lanes from Park Ave - including the southbound Great South Rd Link to the Ellerslie-Panmure roundabout - had been closed due to the ruptured pipe, blocking access to the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway motorway ramps.
In an update shortly before 9am, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and AT confirmed access to the motorway has been restored, although some delays were still expected.
"One southbound lane remains closed between Park Ave and the Ellerslie-Panmure roundabout. Slow down through the area and expect some delays until the burst water main issue can be fully resolved," AT tweeted at 8:40am.
A southbound lane was reopened on the Great South Rd Link for motorway-bound traffic shortly after 8am, providing some respite. Access to the northbound right turn from Great South Rd on to Ellerslie-Panmure Highway was also regained.
To cope with the closures, commuters were advised to enter the motorway at Greenlane or the South Eastern Highway interchange. Bus routes through the area - the 298 and 321 services - were also detoured via Kalmia and Great South Rd.
But the roads were plagued with more chaos an hour after access to the motorway was restored, with a breakdown shortly before 10am blocking the left northbound lane after the Ellerslie-Panmure on-ramp.
"Pass the scene with care and expect some delays as police work to clear the incident," the NZTA said.
After about 20 minutes, all lanes were reopened.
