Weather warning: Auckland Harbor Bridge could close on short notice

Potential hurricane force winds have transport authorities on high alert, warning motorists that they can close the Auckland Harbor Bridge on short notice if necessary.

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency issued the warning when a “weather bomb” accumulates in the Tasman Sea and prepares to launch towards New Zealand.

It threatens to bring heavy rains and hurricane-force winds to much of the country.

Severe weather advisories and clocks issued by forecaster MetService show that almost every part of the country is yellow or orange.

NZTA Transportation Services general manager Brett Gliddon said that while the South Island and the East Coast of the North Island would likely suffer the brunt of the wild weather, authorities would take a conservative approach with the Harbor Bridge.

“Bridge managers receive constant reports on wind force from Metservice, and we will not hesitate to close lanes or even close the bridge for short periods if the wind blows too much,” he said.

“Closures can happen on very short notice. That can cause inconvenience and disruption, but safety comes first.”

Auckland Transport said it would also take a safety approach first by replacing double-decker buses to the North Shore with single-decker buses over the weekend.

The city’s transportation agency said weekend service was quieter, so residents would still find plenty of seats available.

Motorcyclists and those in high-sided trucks or other vehicles were also advised to avoid crossing the bridge using the Western Ring Road on SH16 and SH18.

“Plan your trip, wait longer and check our online travel site for up-to-date information on travel times and road closures,” said NZTA.

Gliddon said there was a key difference between this weekend’s actions and Friday’s actions a week ago when strong gusts of wind struck a truck against a metal support strut on the bridge and flipped another truck sideways.

Damage to the bridge prompted authorities to close highway lanes, causing massive traffic delays that brought much of the inner-city road networks to a standstill.

Gliddon said the above incident took place after wind gusts suddenly increased without warning from 60 km / h to 127 km / h.

“The difference this weekend is that we know that hurricane-force winds are forecast. Last Friday was an extraordinary event with no warning or time to react. The hurricane-force winds subsided as quickly as they arrived.”

Earlier, the NZTA said sandbags and weights had been placed in temporary road cones along the harbor bridge.

Motorists were also urged to stay within the posted speed limit when crossing the bridge and avoid changing lanes and being distracted.

“We have tow trucks at the bridge approaches to respond quickly to crashes and breakdowns, but any vehicle that stops on the bridge will cause a major disruption that can quickly spread across the entire network,” Gliddon said.

Work is underway on the design and manufacture of a 22.7 m prop that will be a permanent fixture for the bridge and can help support the load on the structure.

However, it will be weeks before the bridge is fully operational again and its eight lanes open to traffic.