Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises that lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge have re-opened to traffic. Three lanes in each directions are now open.
Waka Kotahi Senior Journey Manager Neil Walker says Congestion is still heavy and will take some time to clear. People are urged to plan before they travel, use the Western Ring Route via SH16 and SH18 as an alternative to SH1. Single decker buses are allowed to cross the bridge.
There was a full closure this morning on the Harbour Bridge as a result of strong wind gusts. Significant wind gusts were recorded on the bridge and lanes were closed to look after the safety of drivers and the bridge whilst the structure is still damaged and in a compromised state.
Ongoing strong wind gusts have been a concern since the weekend and the bridge team has been continually measuring wind levels to assess whether the bridge has to close.
“Waka Kotahi is taking a very conservative approach to managing the bridge during this period of unsettled weather due to the pre-existing damage to the structure,” Mr Walker says.
MetService forecasts more high wind levels throughout the day so further lane closures may be required. More settled weather expected for the rest of the week.
The bridge and the clip-on lanes are safe to use, however since the superstructure was damaged due to high winds on 18 September, the bridge will remain compromised for some weeks until a permanent repair can be made.
Work is under way on designing and fabricating a 22.7 metre strut that will be a permanent load-bearing fix for the bridge, however it will be weeks before the bridge is restored to full operation with eight lanes open to traffic.
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