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Transport authorities have removed double-decker buses from the Auckland Harbor Bridge and warn that it could close completely during a massive storm forecast for much of the country.
MetService previously said travel disruptions are likely this weekend as heavy gales, heavy rain and large waves hit the country, followed by cold air from Antarctica bringing snow to low levels in the south. deep.
Meteorologists believe the storm could be “one of the most widespread severe weather events this year.”
New Zealand Waka Kotahi Transportation Agency (NZTA) general manager of transportation services, Brett Gliddon, advised motorcyclists and those driving high-sided vehicles to avoid the bridge.
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It has been partially closed for more than a week after a strange 127 km / h gust of wind caused a truck to overturn against a prop, severely damaging it and causing widespread delays for motorists.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
The NZTA will keep a close eye on Met Service weather data and may close lanes on the Auckland Harbor Bridge if the wind gets too strong.
Instead, motorcycle and truck drivers are advised to use the western ring route (SH18 and SH16).
Auckland Transport’s North Shore bus services, which normally use double-decker buses, will switch to standard buses over the weekend in the event of strong winds.
This is not expected to affect passenger capacity as weekend services tend to be quieter.
Gliddon said bridge managers receive wind reports from MetService staff and will close lanes or the entire bridge for short periods if the wind is too strong.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
The center lanes of the Auckland Harbor Bridge were closed for five days after a strange gust of wind caused a truck to hit a strut on Friday 18 September.
“The difference this weekend is that we know that hurricane-force winds are forecast. Last Friday was an extraordinary event with no notice or time to react.
“The hurricane winds died down as fast as they came,” Gliddon said.
“Closures can happen on very short notice. That can cause inconvenience and disruption, but safety comes first. “
A fast-moving minimum expected to pass through the bottom of the South Island early Sunday would be the lowest in New Zealand “for a long time,” MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said Thursday.
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The double-decker buses normally used for Auckland Transport’s North Shore to CBD services will be replaced by standard buses this weekend in anticipation of strong winds.
It would contribute to an unusually large pressure difference between Auckland and Invercargill, bringing gales to many parts of the country, including areas that do not typically experience strong winds.
He and his colleagues were “carefully studying their pressure charts in anticipation of one of the most widespread severe weather events of this year.”
While the rain would be heavy in several places, especially along the west of the South Island, it was the wind that had the highest risk of causing widespread disruption over the weekend.
The strip of rain would be short-lived in many places in the north and east, and the winds would begin to abate Monday, but the sting in the tail would be cold Antarctic air carried into the country, Adams said.
