Cut: Auckland Harbor Bridge Damage Could Cause Weeks of Delays for North Shore Residents

Engineers warn that it could take weeks to repair Auckland’s damaged Harbor Bridge, leaving drivers of the nearly 200,000 cars that cross it daily facing lengthy delays.

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency has even asked commuters to consider working from home if possible after motorists endured a day of chaos due to lane closures on the bridge.

The drama began when a southbound truck carrying a shipping container was overturned on its side this morning in the wind with gusts of up to 127 km / h.

“The truck that hit the bridge has damaged the superstructure, with a steel strut cut away,” said NZTA senior travel manager Neil Walker.

Unbelievably, the truck righted itself and its driver was able to pull away.

However, another “mid-size” truck heading north was also caught in the gusts of wind and crossed two lanes of traffic in a terrifying incident before landing on a moving barrier where it remained stuck.

Emergency crews initially closed all of the bridge lanes heading to the North Shore as they scrambled to clear the crashed truck.

The accidents meant Auckland’s roads and public transport network plunged into chaos as traffic piled up for miles along the city’s north and north-west motorways.

Motorists trying to return home to the west and north of the city reported being stuck in traffic for hours.

Separately, Auckland’s Western Rail Line was also closed for two hours after a person was seriously injured when hit by a train at Auckland’s inner Kingsland Rail Station.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said NZTA gave his team an early report on the bridge damage, reporting that the four middle lanes could remain closed for a “prolonged period”.

NZTA would make a decision on the best way to fix the bridge on Sunday, Goff said.

NZTA’s Walker said engineers’ first assessment of the bridge’s structural damage had indicated that “a permanent repair would be a long-term process.”

“The four lanes along the central span of the bridge will be closed to traffic for at least several days and possibly weeks,” he said.

“Congestion on the road network is inevitable as we assess the damage and necessary repairs.”

Waka Kotahi advised Aucklandites to consider working from home rather than trying to cross the bridge if possible.

The agency also recommended the use of public transportation, as the bridge’s two outer “clipped” lanes in each direction would remain open, meaning the northern busway could run smoothly.

The outer rails were safe to use as they had their own support structure.

“If you need to travel, motorists are urged to use the western ring route (SH20, SH16 and SH18) around the port,” NZTA said.

On average, more than 170,000 vehicles cross the bridge on weekdays. Its eight lanes are changed four times a day in different configurations to accommodate peak hour traffic flows.

The bridge opened in 1959 with four lanes, but these quickly proved to be insufficient. In 1969 two clip structures were added, providing two more rails in either direction.