Waka Kotahi is advising Auckland motorists heading north this Easter weekend to avoid the central motorway junction while maintenance work is carried out, closing a section of the Southern Motorway.

All lanes on State Highway 1 between Symonds Street and the SH16 link will be closed from 10.30pm Thursday 14 April through to 7am on Saturday 16 April.

The closure will allow Waka Kotahi’s maintenance team to replace a damaged joint on one of the junction bridges, discovered during routine maintenance. The failing joint does not pose an immediate safety risk, however, needs to be repaired as soon as possible.

Regional Manager Tāmaki Makaurau me Te Tai Tokerau – Maintenance & Operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult said that replacing the joint in a continuous closure is safer and less disruptive to road users than carrying out further temporary repairs which would result in ongoing closures.

“Safety is our top priority, and our teams work hard to maintain a safe and reliable transport network for our customers,” she said.

“This is a significant closure, and even with the reduced traffic volumes over Easter we need people to plan ahead and choose a different route to avoid delays.”

Road users are advised to avoid the central motorway area, and those heading north should instead take the western ring route to avoid congestion on SH1, which is expected to be heavy during peak traffic times.

Signposted detours will be in place, via Wellesley Street to State Highway 16 westbound, SH1 northbound and the CBD. Victoria Park Tunnel will also remain open throughout the works.

On Friday 15 April, from 7am-8pm, one lane will open to allow access north on SH1 and to the Nelson Street off-ramp, however it is advised to avoid the area by choosing an alternate route.

The closure may need to be extended to 7am on Sunday 17 April and may be delayed by bad weather.