Avoid the Auckland Harbor Bridge if you can – Waka Kotahi Transport Chief

It is our city’s largest clothes hanger linking the northern suburbs with the bright lights of the city center and beyond, but motorists are encouraged to, whenever possible, avoid the Auckland Harbor Bridge until major structural repairs are completed.

That means taking public transportation, taking the western ring route, working from home, or opting for more flexible hours to reduce the number of vehicles trying to cross the Waitematā port on the four lanes that remain open, said Brett, general manager of Transportation services of the Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency. Gliddon said yesterday.

That was endorsed by Auckland Chamber of Business Executive Director Michael Barnett, although Barnett also pointed to “lack of action” which, like the lack of proper planning over the city’s water supply, has returned. to expose Auckland’s vulnerability.

“This should send some really bloody signals to the council and government that we need to address the vulnerabilities and make a decision,” said Barnett, who wants a rail / road tunnel through the port.

The 61-year-old Harbor Bridge’s four center lanes have been closed since a 127km / h wind gust flipped two trucks sideways on Friday, one of which, carrying a shipping container, severely damaged a central span of load. New images reveal the extent of the damage.

The impact cut through the strut at the bottom, and meant that the load carried by the strut had now been redistributed across the rest of the bridge, which is now under review, Gliddon told media yesterday.

“There is no risk of the bridge falling, but it is not appropriate for vehicles to pass without the prop working.”

The center four lanes were closed, but the four northbound and southbound clip-on lanes were not connected to the main bridge structure and therefore safe to use, even by trucks, although Gliddon encouraged truck drivers to use the western ring route to help ease congestion.

The steel strut, which runs from the road to the top of the bridge, is 400mm to 500mm square, is bolted at the bottom to a large steel plate, and has 15 to 20 bolts holding it in place. in place and will take several weeks to replace. Gliddon said.

“I expect it to be four to five weeks, maybe longer. We have our engineers working on it, our contractors are preparing the resources and we have the manufacturers lined up to build the strut when we are ready to go.” “

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A temporary solution was being investigated that could allow light vehicles to use center lanes again in “a week or so,” but there was no guarantee, Gliddon said.

In the long term, a second port crossing would be required, but for now it encouraged motorists to avoid the bridge, which is typically crossed by 170,000 vehicles on weekdays, when possible.

“It is vitally important that we manage traffic flows.”

Barnett encouraged companies to use the strategies they had used during the Covid-19 shutdowns.

“Get creative, look for flexible hours. Retail stores could open later, offices should vary start and end times, and some people should work from home.”

Some may have been wishing they were working from home when Friday’s accident paralyzed much of the city.

Motorists had to go through up to seven times more in traffic than normal, with a 17km trip from Albany to the city’s central business district taking between 50 and 70 minutes, compared to a normal 12-minute trip outside of peak hours, the Automobile Association said. .

Similarly, a trip from the CBD to Westgate (typically 11 minutes) took about 40 minutes and Manukau to the CBD in the mid-afternoon or late afternoon (typically 18 minutes) took up to 63 minutes.

Two Herald reporters spent an hour and a half driving three blocks from the top of Nelson St to the intersection of Victoria St.

National leader Judith Collins took advantage of Friday’s chaos by promising to build a road and rail tunnel under the port, and Transport Minister Phil Twyford also backed a new port crossing, saying planning was underway.

Meanwhile, dramatic accounts of the times the two trucks capsized surfaced on social media and in reports to the Herald.

Witness John Lynne told the Herald it was “shocking.”

Two drivers of another furniture truck that stopped at the scene to help were so “petrified” to get back into their vehicle, which was being tossed about by the winds, that they instead took refuge in Lynne’s Mazda.

Video footage showed a truck lurching on two wheels before rolling over.

“Oh bro, he’s leaving, oh shit,” a nearby motorist can be heard yelling in the video.

Those in the vehicle noticed that a second truck had also been overturned.

“Brother, we have to get off this fucking bridge man.”