This story originally appeared on TVNZ and is republished with permission
The Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed this morning due to strong wind gusts, with this morning’s peak hour commute underway.
Waka Kotahi NZTA says the bridge is “temporarily closed to all vehicles in both directions. Bridge lanes will re-open as soon as possible once wind gusts ease”.
“Significant wind gusts of more than 80km/h have been recorded on the bridge and a decision has been made to close all lanes on the harbour bridge to look after the safety of drivers and the bridge whilst the structure is still damaged and in a compromised state,” NZTA says.
“The full bridge closure will remain in place until further notice. The bridge team is working closely with MetService to get advice on when it is safe to re-open the lanes.”
Motorists are advised to delay their journey or use the SH18 or SH16 as an alternative to SH1.
Last week, a temporary fix was put in place after high winds blew a truck into a rivet causing damage on September 18.
