Auckland motorists are being told to expect “substantially longer than usual” delays across the city for IKEA’s opening on Thursday next week.
Transport authorities warned of a worst-case scenario of 40-plus-minute queues at the motorway exit near the store’s Mt Wellington location.
The long-awaited Swedish furniture store will open to the public on December 4 in Sylvia Park.
Both Auckland Transport and the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi urged road-users to “plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time for their journeys”.
“We expect the opening day, and subsequent weeks or even months to draw big crowds to the Sylvia Park area, and for this to have a substantial effect on the transport network both locally and across Auckland,” Auckland Transport Operations Centre manager Claire Howard said.
She said modelling had shown travel times across the network were likely to be “substantially longer than usual”.
“Our traffic modelling shows that in a worst-case scenario, there could be 40-minute-plus queues to exit the motorway at Mt Wellington and wait times of up to an hour to get into car parks at IKEA.”
The surrounding streets in Mt Wellington were also expected to be busy, with delays of up to 40 minutes on the Mt Wellington Highway during peak traffic.
Traffic was expected to be at its worst during rush hour in the evening on weekdays, and between 1-4pm on Saturdays, particularly heading north from South Auckland.
The Auckland Transport Operations Centre (ATOC) had been working with IKEA to ensure its traffic management plan minimised traffic impacts “as much as possible”. Traffic light signals will be diverted, and ATOC will be diverting traffic where possible as congestion increases.
Howard said staff will monitor and respond “around the clock” to keep traffic moving.
“We know people are excited about IKEA opening, but like any popular event or destination that attracts a large crowd, it’s going to put pressure on the transport network,” Howard said.
Real-time updates will be provided on the NZTA Journey Planner website, AT website and AT Mobile app notifications, electronic signs on the highway network and local roads, and NZTA/AT social media channels.
People travelling through Auckland were advised to plan for potential delays if they were driving through the area or visiting the store. They were encouraged to take other routes, including the Western Ring Route (State Highway 20, 18 and 16) through Māngere, Mt Roskill and Massey to avoid State Highway 1.
The store’s opening comes despite a sprinkler going off there yesterday afternoon. It was resolved and would not affect the store’s plans, an IKEA spokesperson said.
What’s the best way to get to the store?
Transport authorities said to avoid queues, shoppers should consider visiting outside peak traffic hours. For those not planning to buy large furniture, it was recommended that they take the Eastern Line train.
“It’s a 19-minute train ride from Waitematā Station to Sylvia Park Station compared with expected travel times of more than an hour for the same journey by car, especially if you’re just window shopping or able to get your purchases delivered,” Howard said.
Staff will be at the Sylvia Park station to help people get to the store.
