All lanes have now re-opened on Auckland’s southwestern motorway after a slip blocked part of State Highway 20 for over 12 hours.
It comes after police were called to a tree fall and slip at 1.30am this morning.
The multi-hour closure forced motorway traffic onto local streets around Onehunga.
In an update at 3pm, a spokesperson for NZTA Waka Kotahi said lanes have now been cleared and are open between Queenstown Road off-ramp and Queenstown Road bridge on State Highway 20.
The right lane of the Queenstown Road off-ramp will remain closed until further notice.
Live traffic data indicated heavy traffic on the re-opened section of the road, stretching from Hillsborough to Māngere Bridge, with detours recommended for drivers.
The full closure was earlier attributed to an incident between the Neilson St off-ramp and Hillsborough Rd on-ramp.
“Please follow the detour and allow extra time for your journey,” NZTA said in a tweet.
“Contractors are on-site and working hard to reopen the highway as quickly as possible.”
Bus lines 38 and 309 are experiencing delays, according to Auckland Transport.
“Expect some delays on bus routes 38 and 309 until the road is cleared.
“A fallen tree has closed State Highway 20 northbound between Neilson St and Hillsborough Rd on-ramp.”
A police spokesperson earlier said officers attended to the motorway overnight.
“Police received several calls from motorists advising that a large tree was blocking the road. Police provided traffic management until road closures could be put in place.”
In a separate incident on State Highway 20 this morning, emergency services cleared a crash that had earlier blocked the Neilson St off-ramp.
![A detoured journey recommended by Google Maps.](https://tvnz-1-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/a-detoured-journey-recommended-by-google-maps-MZO6QVWNSJHZXHPMMXY4CLCV5U.jpg?auth=3f99f18b62f0ed24a9d3d13be254278101ff5124ead854a99977bbe92ad6191e&quality=70&width=767&height=431&focal=577%2C325)