Police are urging motorists to be patient and to expect congestion on Hamilton roads on Saturday for the Lions rugby game.
Thousands of visitors are expected to converge on Hamilton on Saturday afternoon for the game, that will be played at Waikato Stadium in central Hamilton.
Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman says motorists driving to the venue should plan their journeys well in advance, leave early and expect delays.
Visitors coming from out-of-town should be particularly well-prepared, especially those using SH1 coming from the north and south.
"There is likely to be congestion on the roads and we expect there will be delays for all vehicles coming into the central city and the stadium. Our advice is to think ahead, decide your route before you leave home and factor in extra time.
"Past experience tells us that motorists can avoid a lot of problems at events like these simply by being prepared," Mr Tooman said.
The Lions game in Rotorua last week attracted thousands of people to the city and all highways leading into the central city were heavily congested. There was still traffic backed up to Ngongotaha 20 minutes before kick-off.
Police are also urging motorists not to leave anything valuable in their parked cars. Thefts from cars could be avoided by not leaving anything of value in sight.
Mr Tooman said parking would also be a major issue on Saturday. There is no public parking around the immediate stadium area and most people would be parking on inner city streets.