New images show the extent of Auckland Harbor Bridge damage after two truck accidents

New images of damage to the Auckland Harbor Bridge show bolts sheared from the impact of a truck accident.

Engineers found “significant” damage to the bridge in an overnight assessment and predict that the repair will take weeks, during which time some lanes will have to be closed.

The center four lanes of the eight-lane bridge were closed today, causing congestion in both directions.

Images released by the Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency show the extent of damage to a load-bearing strut in the bridge arch.

“The vertical strut is attached to the top and bottom of the bridge with a series of bolts,” said Neil Walker, senior travel manager for Waka Kotahi.

“These bolts have dislodged and left the strut detached at the bottom. The strut is bent and twisted at the point where it was struck.”

The bridge was damaged yesterday when two trucks crashed in rapid succession after being overturned by wind gusts of up to 127 km / h.

The damaged strut helped support the weight of the bridge, Walker said.

“Bridge engineers are evaluating how to repair or replace the strut, while also checking to see if other struts are damaged as additional load has been transferred to them. The cut end of the damaged strut has been temporarily bolted to the bridge.”

It was an important component of the bridge structure, but there was no risk to the structural integrity of the bridge or the overall safety.

However, there will likely be lane closures for weeks while it is being repaired.

The agency urged motorists to adjust their usual travel plans and patterns if they wanted to avoid disruption caused by lane closures.

They were recommended to use the western ring route via SH16, SH18 and SH20 instead.

“While the western ring route was carefully planned and constructed to be used as an alternative to the port bridge, especially for trucks and heavy vehicles, it will now also experience congestion and delays with the additional traffic volumes that would have been on the port bridge. port, “Walker said.

Motorists were also asked to consider working from home whenever possible starting Monday. If they had to travel, they should consider using public transportation.

The north busway would be operational and buses could safely use the outer “clip-on” lanes.

Two trucks crashed around 11 a.m. yesterday with strong winds. An NZ Van Lines truck carrying an empty shipping container flew sideways in the outer lane to the south and struck the bridge superstructure. No one was injured in the accident, although the driver’s boss said he was “in shock” at the time.

Immediately prior to that, a Castle Parcels truck driving north was blown across two lanes and flipped over the moving lane barrier, getting stuck. The driver was taken to hospital but was not seriously injured.

The lane closures caused by that accident caused Auckland to stall for more than six hours.

Around 170,000 vehicles cross the eight-lane bridge a day.