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Roadworks on State Highway 1 could delay the freight operation from Northport to Auckland.
Police teams stop trucks heading south from Whangārei to make sure they don’t exceed weight limits.
Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
Every hour between 6 a.m. and midnight for the next seven days except Sunday, 12 trucks will pick up a load of Christmas cargo from Northport and head south.
But a number of works are underway on State Highway 1 that could slow things down.
National Road Carriers CEO David Aitken said Morning report Transportation of all goods from the ship may take more than seven days. Constantinos P, which was diverted from Auckland due to unloading delays.
“We estimate, in the best of cases, [truck drivers are] I will be doing two trips [each day] that’s if all goes well.
“It is a challenging journey, it is not the best road compared to what they are used to … the average journey of the containers from the ports of Auckland is about 30 km, now they are going to do 140-150 km round trip a challenging trail that has some black spots.
“I heard from the NZTA that they have at least two resealing jobs in progress. This will increase the time it takes to get the container back to Auckland, limiting the number of trips.”
He says the length of the operation will depend on a number of factors, including Northport’s ability to load containers, road problems and the number of vehicles that can be shipped to Northport while operations are still underway in Auckland.
“[Northport] it does not have the same infrastructure that other container ports have. They will be limited in their abilities to unload the ship and then load the trucks. We understand that they only have two top chargers … which will slow things down compared to other ports. “
On the other hand, Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai was optimistic about the prospects of Northport showing off its skills. She said Morning report the road can withstand traffic despite the need for improvements.
“We all know that road, we are actually envious of the roads in other parts of the country.
“We have said for a long time that this road needs improvement.”
She says moving cargo shows Northport’s ability to play a bigger role in taking cargo than it would normally go to Auckland.
“Everything is being planned for that same result, and it takes it forward and shows our ability.”
In addition to safe road transport, a good rail connection is vital to the success of Northport’s expansion, he says, and the Whangārei rail line to Auckland is being upgraded.
She hopes that the railroad can handle a large number of containers within 10 years.
“I compare it to when the Kaimai tunnel for the Tauranga ports was built so many years ago and that just means the roads were safer as a result of the rail picking up that cargo.
“The port has been planning an expansion for a long time to be able to handle larger ships.
“We have shown shippers that Northport is a viable option to add to the network of ports that can handle this burden.”
She says New Zealand needs to see its ports as an integrated system for handling cargo, and Northport will play its role.
“The people of Aucklanders want the coast back and we can find a solution that works for everyone to make sure we get products where they need to be in the most efficient way possible.”
Police have also been transferred from all over the country to help with the operation. Sergeant Major Mike Flatt said Morning report they have their commercial vehicle safety team set up just south of Northport to monitor trucks and check weights.
“It’s busy and it’s going to be busier throughout the day,” he said, adding that today there were other large trucks, from logging and other industries, on the road.
“The normal cargo moving from Whangārei in the Far North to Auckland and the rest of the country is still going.”
He urged motorists to be patient and plan their trip in advance to accommodate congestion.
“People will just have to be patient. Our partner agency NZTA is there with their highway management teams.
“With the trucks coming up Brynderwyn and some of those hills, those are the areas where it will start to get a little congested … keep your distance, watch your speed and be patient.”
He noted that there will be no movement on Sunday and that would ease the congestion a bit.
Review the events of the morning of December 11:
