Auckland Harbour Bridge: Public transport use urged despite temporary damage fix
Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Motorists are still being used to avoid Auckland Harbour Bridge and use public transport, despite the successful installation of a temporary fix to a damaged strut.
Half of the bridge’s lanes were closed following a freak accident on Friday when two trucks were hit by high winds, leaving a strut severely damaged.
The lane closures left only two lanes in each direction operational, causing clogging roads and leading to lengthy traffic queues across the region.
A temporary solution was put into place on Wednesday morning, allowing two more lanes to open.
**READ MORE:
* Auckland Harbour Bridge: Permanent fix expected in four to five weeks, NZTA says
* Harbour bridge closure: Work on temporary fix to reopen lanes to start on Tuesday
* Auckland Harbour Bridge damage: 'You can't build your way out of it forever'
**
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency reported that queues south of the bridge were considerably shorter than previous mornings following the addition of a third lane.
But a permanent fix is not expected for another four to five weeks, as teams work to design and make the replacement part, meaning two lanes will remain shut, resulting in further congestion.
The NZTA has reiterated its plea for motorists to consider different travel options, including buses and ferries, or the Western Ring Route (SH16 and SH18), to avoid the bridge.
“The bridge is still not fully operational, two lanes remain closes, and motorists should still expect queues and delays crossing the bridge at peak times,” general manager of transport services Brett Gliddon said.
Gliddon said although the reopening of lanes was good news, the temporary strut on the bridge was still in a compromised state and traffic loads on the bridge would need to be managed carefully.
“This will remain until the permanent solution is in place and the bridge can support its full weight capacity again.”
Heavy trucks were a concern, and NZTA encouraged heavy vehicles to travel via the Western Ring Route.
Meanwhile, Auckland Transport reported an increase in passengers on buses, trains and ferries.
Ferries saw an increase in users of around 104 per cent on Tuesday, compared to the same day last week.
As a result, the Devonport to Auckland CBD service, which has seen patronage increase 123 per cent, will run every half hour from 5.45am to 12.00am weekdays.
That was in addition to the 15-minute frequency available from 7.30am to 8.30am during the peak commute hour on weekdays.
Bus and train patronage was also up 5.4 and 10.5 per cent respectively on the previous week.
Capacity on buses between the North Shore and the CBD was still plentiful despite the increase.