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Two lanes on the damaged Auckland Harbor Bridge reopened Wednesday morning after the installation of a temporary overnight repair was successful.
Auckland commuters have already faced long delays this week after damage caused by a freak accident on Friday when two trucks were hit by high winds, causing the closure of half of the bridge’s lanes.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said the lower half of the damaged 22.7 meter strut has been replaced with a “freshly fabricated” steel section.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
There have been long delays to the bridge after the damage.
The temporary repair was completed after specialized bridge builders and engineers evaluated the damage, designed a new strut, and planned the repair before manufacturing the strut.
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NZTA Transportation Services General Manager Brett Gliddon said there were perfect weather conditions on the bridge overnight and progress was faster than expected.
WAKA KOTAHI NZ TRANSPORTATION AGENCY / Supplied
Work was carried out overnight Tuesday to temporarily repair damage to the bridge.
“There was very little wind, good temperatures and visibility, which meant the team was able to install the new section and carry out the tests in one night.
“This temporary repair allows two additional lanes (one northbound lane and one southbound lane) on the central span of the bridge to be opened to traffic. The two outer clip-on lanes are also open, which means three lanes in each direction. “
The lanes of the central section remain closed.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
The damage was caused by a gust of wind that blew onto a truck and hit one of the steel struts.
Gliddon said that while the lane reopening was good news, the bridge’s temporary prop is still in a compromised state and loads on the bridge will need to be handled with care.
“This will remain until the permanent solution is in place and the bridge can again support its full weight capacity.”
The agency is now working on a permanent repair of the damage that will cause all lanes to reopen.
WAKA KOTAHI NZ TRANSPORTATION AGENCY / Supplied
The temporary fix means that two more lanes on the bridge can reopen Wednesday.
This could still be in a few weeks.
Just after 7 a.m., the third lane heading into the city was reopened. Ninety minutes later, a third lane headed toward the North Shore reopened.
Traffic has dropped considerably on the network, however, NZTA said overall lane capacity remains low.
“Please continue to consider working from home, using public transportation or, if possible, rerouting via the Western Ring Road.”
More established ferry services
simon maude / Things
More ferry services to and from Devonport have been added over the next several weeks.
Fullers360 is reclaiming 30-minute off-peak departures on its Devonport route, nearly doubling the frequency of this service throughout the day, in a bid to reduce congestion on the bridge.
This means that the services will operate with a 30-minute frequency from 5.45 am to 12.00 am from Monday to Friday. This is in addition to the current 15 minute frequency available from 7:30 a.m. M. At 8:30 a. M. During rush hour travel Monday through Friday.
The time change will provide 14 more services to and from Auckland’s financial district each day.
Fullers said the additional frequency will be a temporary measure for at least the next two weeks and will be reassessed as the situation evolves.
Fullers360 CEO Mike Horne said the schedule changes were a move to urgently support Devonport and neighboring communities.
“We recognize that our role is crucial to the broader public transportation network, particularly now, where there are additional challenges for all North Shore communities trying to get in and out of the city.”
How exactly did this happen?
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
New Zealand Transportation Agency General Manager for Transportation Services Brett Gliddon is confronting the media over the closure of the internal lanes of the harbor bridge.
At around 11 a.m. Friday, sudden strong gusts brought down two trucks as they crossed the bridge, Gliddon said.
One was on top of the bridge when it was knocked over by a gust and crashed into a steel beam, twisting the metal and cutting it where it connected to the bridge below the road surface.
Gliddon said the wind was 60km / h before it shot out to a 127km / h gust before subsiding again.
“We were hit by an absolutely monstrous gust of wind that caught a truck that was right at the top of the bridge.
New Zealand Transport Agency
New images of the damaged prop of the Auckland Harbor Bridge, filmed on Sunday.
“That is really difficult to design.”
The beam did what it was supposed to do, cutting the bolts, rather than pulling and damaging other support members, with its load transferred to other supports in the steel truss.
The bridge is still able to stand on its own, but engineers are unwilling to allow traffic on the original inner lanes, which opened in 1959.
The two outer rails on each side, trimmed 10 years after opening, have their own support structure and are not dependent on damaged armor.
