The central span of the Auckland Harbor Bridge is severely damaged in an accident

The central span of the Auckland Harbor Bridge was severely damaged after a truck crashed into it on Friday.

But transportation chiefs say there is no risk of the bridge collapsing, instead a permanent solution is now being worked on to replace the damaged strut.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency General Manager of Transportation Services, Brett Gliddon, said engineers were looking for a temporary fix this weekend.

The bridge was damaged Friday morning after a southbound truck carrying a shipping container was swept sideways by a wind gust of up to 127 km / h.

The damage has forced the bridge’s four center lanes to close, and Gliddon said it could be at least a week before cars can use those lanes again.

He asked that people who needed to cross the bridge to go to work consider working from home while the repairs were being made.

The damaged section of the steel strut runs from the road level to the top of the bridge. It was about 400 to 500mm square, with 15-20 bolts holding it in place.

Gliddon said it was safe for heavy vehicles to use the northbound and southbound clip-on lanes.

When asked about additional public transport services, he said Auckland transport is working through the weekend to make sure there is enough capacity.

“The deadline for the prop problem is several weeks. I expect four or five, but it could be longer,” he said.

“It may seem that we are not doing much. I can assure people that we are doing a lot, we have people under the bridge, we have people in the office.”

He added that a permanent solution was definitely weeks, and not days, away.

“There will be additional congestion in the western ring, so people need to be aware of that and take that into account.”

Traffic around Auckland came to a halt after Friday’s incident, and the long stalemate continued into the evening.

And the delays were widespread in the run-up to Auckland Harbor Bridge for both southbound and northbound traffic today due to the closure of the four center lanes.

Auckland motorists had to go through up to seven times more in traffic than normal yesterday after four lanes on the Auckland Harbor Bridge were closed after the accidents.

That included a trip from Albany to the city’s central business district that took between 50 and 70 minutes yesterday afternoon compared to a normal 12-minute trip outside of rush hours, the Automobile Association said.

The rush hour trips took even longer, with two Herald reporters taking an hour to drive three blocks from the top of Nelson St to the Victoria St intersection in downtown.

National leader Judith Collins took advantage of the chaos by promising to build a road and rail tunnel under the harbor to provide a second crossing for travelers.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford also backed a new port crossing, saying planning was underway.

AA Senior Infrastructure Advisor Sarah Geard said the traffic disruptions caused by lane closures were “another terrible blow” to an Auckland that is just beginning to recover after the Covid-19 closures.

“What this underscores is that we really need to speed up the conversation about an alternative port crossing,” he said.

“It is unacceptable that a relatively minor incident has such an impact – Auckland needs a more resilient network.”

Collins said his party, if elected, would immediately go to work on plans to build a road and rail tunnel under the Waitemata port, with actual construction beginning in 2028.

“This will be New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project and it will require a lot of work, but it will be worth it,” he said.

“Funding for the second Auckland Harbor crossing was included in National’s $ 31 billion transportation infrastructure package, announced by Judith Collins in July.”

Labor’s Twyford also said a new port crossing was needed to ensure the city was not stopped by a “freak accident” like the one that occurred yesterday.

“By the end of the 2020s, the northern busway … is going to reach capacity and therefore we will need another port crossing,” he said.

“And the planning and designation work is underway. It is very likely to be a tunnel and it will include rail.”

Meanwhile, North Shore residents were being asked to work from home next week if possible or to take the Northern Busway.

Auckland Transport said it would not add more buses to the Northern Busway but was confident it would have room for many more passengers next week as it had “been sitting at around 50 percent of normal pre-Covid levels.”

“We will not add more vehicles as we do not have any additional buses due to our ongoing bus rail replacement program,” the agency said.

AT said its city-bound Northern Busway buses that run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday had more than 7,000 seats currently, while the Onewa Rd service had more than 2,500 seats.

Buses back in rush hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. had over 6,500 seats on the Northern Busway and 3,000 on the Onewa Rd route.

“We are also planning to increase the off-peak frequency so that more customers can take advantage of our 30 percent discount on off-peak rates,” he said.

“The ferries are operating as usual and have vacant seats.”

“We ask customers to travel outside peak hours if they can, in addition to planning ahead and allowing additional time for their trip as there could be delays in joining the queues to cross the bridge. Additionally, AT reminds travelers clients to cover their faces. “

Those driving between the south and north of Auckland might consider using the Waterview Tunnel link with the Northwestern Motorway along with State Highway 18 to bypass the city from the west.

On Friday, the NZTA said motorists would face delays of “several days and possibly weeks” after the damage to the bridge.

“The truck that hit the bridge has damaged the superstructure, with a steel strut cut away,” says Neil Walker, senior travel manager for Waka Kotahi.

“Our first assessment of the structural damage is that a permanent repair will be a long-term process and the four lanes along the central span of the bridge will be closed to traffic for at least several days and possibly weeks.

“Congestion on the road network is inevitable as we assess the damage and necessary repairs. Waka Kotahi advises clients to consider working from home and, if they need to travel to and from the CBD, consider alternative travel options such take public transportation, including the Northern Busway which is not affected. “

NZTA said: “If you need to travel, motorists are urged to use the western ring route (SH20, SH16 and SH18) around the port.

“The Western Ring Route has been planned and built to be used as an alternative to the Port Bridge, especially for trucks and heavy vehicles.”

On average, more than 170,000 vehicles cross the Auckland Harbor Bridge during the week, and the eight-lane configuration is changed four times a day to accommodate peak hour traffic flows. With the four center lanes closed and only the clips open, there will be only two lanes in each direction.