Auckland Harbor Bridge traffic – latest updates as travelers gear up for chaos

Auckland commuters are bracing for a hellish start to the week as waiting for urgent repairs to a damaged prop, which has seen four lanes closed on the battered Auckland Harbor Bridge, causes traffic chaos.

At 6.10 a. On Monday, southbound traffic was already beginning to incline sharply on the north side of the bridge: at the Onewa Rd entrance ramp, back to the entrance ramp from Devonport and Takapuna, and further north to Tristram Heavy Ave. on Onewa Rd when motorists tried to get onto the freeway.

Waka Kotahi / NZ Transport Agency is urging people to work from home if possible or use public transportation if they have to travel to the city after high winds brought down a truck on Friday afternoon.

The resulting damage to a 22.7 m steel prop closed several lanes of the bridge to assess the damage, causing traffic jams and huge collapses in parts of the city.

Senior Travel Manager Neil Walker said the continued closure of all four lanes, for what is likely to be several weeks, would cause “significant disruption” to many travelers.

“If you must travel, avoid rush hours in the morning and evening and allow more time for your commute,” he said.

“Heavy congestion and delays are expected on both sides of the bridge, as well as other state and local highways.”

Motorists are encouraged to take the western ring route instead, but this route will be especially busy as only half normal capacity can now travel across the Auckland Harbor Bridge.

The bridge, surrounding state highways and local roads were clogged this weekend after two trucks were brought down by “abnormal winds” of up to 127km / h, damaging the bridge’s superstructure.

“A temporary solution to reopen lanes may be possible in a few days, but a permanent repair is weeks away,” Walker said.

“We are working on both and as quickly as possible.”

Although travelers are advised to use public transportation whenever possible, buses on the North Shore will likely be late as they join long lines to cross the bridge.

Shane Ellison, AT’s chief executive, urged commuters to give themselves plenty of time to go to work.

“We have a lot of passenger capacity available as recently we have only been sitting at around 50 percent of normal pre-Covid levels,” he said.

“We will also increase the frequency of buses during off-peak hours,” Ellison said.

“Our joint operations center monitors traffic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and adjusts things like traffic signals in real time so that everything flows as best we can.”

And commuters boarding a train will also need to allow plenty of time, with track speeds remaining at half their normal pace and fewer services due to track maintenance.

Track speeds on Auckland’s trains were reduced from 80km / h to 40km / h in mid-August as contractors urgently work to replace 100km of track in six months.

The frequency of commuter services has also been cut in half, meaning that some trips may take 50% longer than before the changes.

A spokesperson for Auckland Transport said speed restrictions would remain in place this week, but an increase in people working from home due to Covid-19 meant there were plenty of seats available.

“Last week the trains were half full compared to normal,” he said.

In the meantime, buses will replace trains on the Southern Line between Newmarket and Penrose for a month from today, as urgent improvements to the Auckland metro rail network continue.

It follows the four-week closure of the eastern line between Otahuhu and Britomart, which will reopen to trains starting today.

Urgent repairs

Nine structural engineers are removing and replacing the damaged Auckland Harbor
Strut of the bridge, which weighs around four tons and spans 22.7 meters long.

This includes modeling how to rebalance the load bearing function of the strut so that it is safe to gradually reopen the lanes on the center span with a temporary fix in place, said Neil Walker of Waka Kotahi / NZTA.

Over the weekend, engineers completed safety inspections on the bridge and evaluated how to repair or replace the strut struck by one of the trucks.

“The strut is important to the structure of the bridge, as it helps support its weight,” said Walker.

Engineers also checked other struts for damage, as an additional load had been transferred to them. The cut end of the damaged strut has been temporarily bolted to the bridge.

Although the damaged component of the structure is important, there is no risk to the structural integrity or overall safety of the Harbor Bridge, Walker said.

The northbound and southbound clip-on rails are safe as they have their own support structure.

Additional seats available on board AT buses

If possible, Auckland commuters should consider traveling off-peak while repair work continues, Auckland Transport says.

Based on the typical number of passengers, AT says that for Monday morning from 7 am to 8.59 am:

• Inbound, Northern Busway has 7000 seats available with normal service
• Inbound Onewa Rd has 2500 seats available with normal service

On Monday outbound, from 4 pm to 5 pm
• Northern Busway has 6500 seats available with normal service
• Onewa Rd has 3000 seats available with normal service

Ferries increase their capacity

Fullers360 will use the largest vessels available in its services to allow for a greater number of passengers, have additional crews working and additional services on standby.

“All ferry services will operate as usual with plenty of passenger capacity available across the network,” said a Fullers360 spokeswoman.

“We are doing our best to maximize capacity and offer additional frequency when possible.”