Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Auckland Harbour Bridge Remains Open Despite Windy Weather

The period of unsettled and predicted high winds that could have closed lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge this morning has passed without incident.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Senior Journey Manager Neil Walker says the bridge operations team was ready to close some lanes after Metservice forecast a wind shift and a sharp increase in wind gusts up to 90kph.

“Our threshold for closing lanes was the wind gusting to 80 kph. The wind got to 74kph before easing back just after 10AM.”

There was moderate traffic on the bridge at the time.

“Wind gusts up to 90kph would have closed the bridge as we take a conservative approach to the safety of the bridge and our customers at this time, says Neil Walker.

“Metservice says the worst of the morning’s windy weather front has now passed over Auckland, so we’re standing down on lane closures for now.”

Auckland Transport replaced double decker buses with single decker buses for weekend services over the bridge as a safety precaution. Waka Kotahi advice to motorcyclists and drivers of high sided vehicles is to stay off the bridge and use the Western Ring Route on SH16 and SH18.

More unsettled weather with wind gusts up to 75kph is forecast for Monday morning with winds up to 80 kph on Tuesday.

“The Auckland Harbour Bridge is safe for use despite the damage done to the superstructure last Friday. However, it is in a vulnerable state until we complete a permanent repair so we want to do all we can to protect the bridge and the people using it. Safety is our absolute priority.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.