Auckland Harbor Bridge reopened: traffic delays on motorways surrounding the city

Auckland Harbor Bridge reopened after it closed this morning due to strong gusts of wind, but there are warnings that it could close again if conditions call for it.

There are now three lanes open in each direction, Auckland Transport says.

“Please expect significant delays and cancellations in services as the Auckland Harbor Bridge returns to normal and also note that the bridge may close again on short notice.”

The bridge was closed this morning when the wind gusts reached 98 km / h.

Traffic is jammed in both directions as it approaches the bridge, and collisions on the Northwest and South Highways are also causing city-wide delays.

Police said shortly after 7.30 a.m. that motorists can also expect long delays on alternate routes, with southbound traffic on the North Shore diverted to Upper Harbor Highway and northbound traffic from Auckland CBD to North Shore diverted via by SH16.

“We want people to delay travel and work from home if they can,” they said.

Waka Kotahi NZTA said at 8:20 a.m. that a serious accident just before 8 a.m. in the northwest, near Royal Road in Massey, West Auckland meant that the road was briefly closed, but one lane was quickly reopened.

One person was seriously injured in the collision, St John confirmed. The victim is in serious condition and has been taken to Auckland City Hospital for treatment.

People heading north are told to expect long delays as a result and urged to either take a different route or exit the Lincoln Road exit ramp.

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency had said for several days that they were prepared to close the bridge if the gusts reached more than 80 km / h.

“The decision was made to close all lanes on the harbor bridge to ensure the safety of the drivers and the bridge while the structure is still damaged and in a compromised state,” NZTA said this morning.

“Waka Kotahi recognizes that closing lanes on the bridge will cause major disruption and inconvenience, however safety is our highest priority and lane closures will be lifted as soon as it is safe to do so.”

NZTA said the congestion was intense and urged people to work from home whenever possible and avoid unnecessary travel.

“Please verify your route before you travel and use the western ring route via SH16 and SH18 as an alternative to SH1 and the bridge.”

Ongoing strong wind gusts have been a concern since the weekend and the bridge team has been continually measuring wind levels to assess whether the bridge needs to close.

An accident on the South Freeway, after the Ellerslie Panmure Freeway entrance ramp, also blocked a lane heading into the city.

Another accident on the Northwestern Motorway blocked the right lane heading into town just before St Lukes Rd.

Sophie Ryan of the New Zealand Herald was on a bus approaching the harbor bridge this morning and said, after waiting half an hour, the passengers were tense.

There were heated discussions about whether to back down or keep waiting.

“In the end, the passengers asked everyone to turn around and the bus driver managed to turn around and get onto the north side of the North Freeway.”

She says she drove to the Akoranga exit ramp and let them get off the bus at the Akoranga bus station.

Ryan says there was a crowd of about 60 people and about a dozen buses.

“A lot of people were also on the phone with their bosses, it seemed like he was explaining to them that they were going to go to work very late, and a lot of people were really frustrating and really fed up with the whole situation.”

Metservice service forecaster Georgina Griffiths said for the 8 a.m. gusts

“But it will be a tap and it will go away,” he said.

“We will monitor it very carefully.”

Griffiths said that just before 7 a.m., a cold front passed over the bridge, sending gusts that reached 98 km / h.

At 7:30 am, he said the city was seeing the worst of the situation, which could be a comfort to Auckland residents who are in traffic.

The MetService said the remainder of the day would continue to bring gusts of up to 80 km / h across the bridge and that there would be strong winds from the northwest around Auckland.

Those wondering about tomorrow’s trip will be happy to know that light winds are forecast in the city for the next three to four days.

Previously, high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists were strongly urged to avoid the bridge entirely and instead use the Western Ring Road.

Traffic was building up on State Highway 1 heading to Auckland’s financial district.

Highway cameras show bumper-to-bumper congestion on SH1 from Esmonde Road, Northcote Road, and Tristram Ave.

It’s been just over a week since a bridge strut was damaged when a truck rolled over in a gust of up to 127 km / h.

A temporary repair has been installed and work to install a permanent fixture will not be complete for several weeks, NZTA said.