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Auckland Harbor Bridge lane closures following a truck accident have prompted new requests for an additional crossing as traffic in the city stops for a second day.
The travel chaos came on Friday after two trucks were caught in a 127-kilometer-per-hour gust of wind and one crashed, damaging the bridge and closing all four center lanes.
NTZA said the lanes could be closed for weeks and traffic problems continued Saturday.
The incident highlighted the vulnerability of the city and the “desperate need” for an alternative port crossing, according to the executive director of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Michael Barnett.
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Chris McKeen / Stuff
Strong winds overturned a truck on the Auckland Harbor Bridge on Friday and another collided with a barrier.
There are currently two routes through the port, and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) advised travelers on Saturday to consider using the Western Ring Route (SH18, SH16 and SH20) instead.
But Barnett said “for years” it had been clear that the city needed more, and Friday’s incident showed just how fragile Auckland’s transportation network is.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Saturday morning traffic heading over the Auckland Harbor Bridge from the CBD has been limited to two lanes due to damage to the bridge from a truck.
“An additional crossing is desperately needed, we were able to see that quite clearly before this latest incident,” he said.
“One incident, one problem, and the whole city shuts down.
“The [concept] they have worked for another crossing, now only people with a certain commitment are needed to do it. “
There have long been plans for a multi-billion dollar tunnel under the port to help ease congestion, which would be delivered sometime between 2030 and 2050.
In 2019, NZTA’s business case for the tunnel was delayed, but on Saturday Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said that despite the Covid-19 outage, planning was already underway.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
NZTA Transportation Services General Manager Brett Gliddon says it could be weeks before all lanes of the Auckland Harbor Bridge reopen.
Goff said Stuff work on the alternative route was scheduled to begin in the next decade (2030-40).
“The preferred option at the moment is a tunnel; I guess an advantage would be the absence of wind, “said Goff.
“NZTA is now analyzing what the configuration is [the tunnel] it will and probably will be a light rail of some kind.
“If that means it will be exclusively light rail and the cars will remain on the Harbor Bridge, we will have to wait and see.”
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said Auckland Transport was working on solutions to ease traffic congestion after the bridge incident on Friday.
However, as with any major infrastructure project, cost is still a big issue.
Since it is a state highway, any project would need to be funded by the government and cost estimates have already shot up to between $ 6 and 7 billion, Goff said.
Looking at the near future, Auckland Transport is working on solutions to alleviate traffic congestion caused by lane reductions following Friday’s incident, it said.
Nigel Horrocks / Stuff
On average, around 170,000 vehicles cross the Harbor Bridge every day.
That included an increase in bus and ferry services, as well as encouraging more people to work from home.
Congestion aside, the incident leaving only the outer “clip-on” lanes in use will significantly affect the trucking industry, costing you valuable time and money.
This is because heavy vehicles such as trucks cannot use the clips for safety reasons.
“The clip-on lanes were a band-aid, and we can’t keep putting band-aids on Auckland’s problems. We need a real change soon,” Barnett said.
On average, around 170,000 vehicles cross the Harbor Bridge every day.
