City of Snails: Auckland's CBD at a standstill after Harbour Bridge closes lanes

Traffic is at a standstill on Victoria St after the Auckland Harbour Bridge closed lanes. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland city is at a standstill tonight after an afternoon of traffic chaos.

One commuter travelling from Pukekohe into the CBD said it took him two and a half hours to get into the his destination in the CBD.

He told the Herald it took him "an hour and 45 minutes just to get down to Nelson Street".

Traffic is at a standstill on Victoria St after the Auckland Harbour Bridge closed lanes. Photo / Dean Purcell

This comes after a southbound truck carrying a shipping container was blown sideways this morning by a wind gust of up to 127km/h.

NZTA said Auckland motorists will face delays for "several days and potentially up to several weeks" after damage to the Auckland Harbour Bridge following today's truck crash.

REMINDER: Four centre lanes remain CLOSED on the Auckland Harbour Bridge following damage to the bridge superstructure this morning. Clip-on lanes remain OPEN in either directions. Consider detouring via SH20, SH16 and SH18. More: https://t.co/ojJ5Q92uZI. ^MF pic.twitter.com/LvH63WIElC

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) September 18, 2020

"The truck striking the bridge has damaged the superstructure, with a steel upright sheared off," says Waka Kotahi Senior Journey Manager, Neil Walker.

Trying to race home from work to get to my sister’s for Rosh Hashana. First I got stuck in the carpark and then of course I got stuck in utter gridlock thanks to a truck flipping on the harbour bridge. Somehow this seems perfectly 2020 and should have been completely predictable.

— Juliet Moses (@JulietMosesNZ) September 18, 2020

Harbour bridge is virtually closed and trains are out of commission for a month, this all sounds like the work of Big Cycling

— Ben Thomas (@BenThomasNZ) September 18, 2020

"Our first assessment of the structural damage is that a permanent fix will be a long term process and the four lanes across the centre span of the bridge will remain closed to traffic for at least several days and potentially weeks."

"Congestion on the road network is inevitable as we assess the damage and the necessary repairs. Waka Kotahi recommends customers consider working from home and if they do need to travel into and out of the CBD they consider alternative travel options, such as taking public transport, including the Northern Busway which is not affected."

NZTA said: "If you do need to travel motorists are urged to use the Western Ring Route (SH20, SH16 and SH18) around the harbour.

Traffic is at a standstill across Auckland's CBD. Photo / Supplied

The Western Ring Route has been planned and constructed to be used as an alternative to the Harbour Bridge, especially for trucks and heavy vehicles".

REMINDER: Four centre lanes remain CLOSED on the Auckland Harbour Bridge following damage to the bridge superstructure this morning. Clip-on lanes remain OPEN in either directions. Consider detouring via SH20, SH16 and SH18. More: https://t.co/ojJ5Q92uZI. ^MF pic.twitter.com/LvH63WIElC

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) September 18, 2020

On average, more than 170,000 vehicles cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge on weekdays, with the configuration of the eight lanes changed four times a day to adjust to peak time traffic flows. With the four centre span lanes closed and only the clips ons open, there will be just two lanes in each direction.