Auckland Harbor Bridge
The Auckland Harbor Bridge is an eight-lane road bridge over Waitemata Harbor in New Zealand . It connects Saint Marys Bay in Auckland City with North Shore City . The total length of the structure is 1.15 km, the clear span is 243.8 m and the clear height is 43.27 m. It is part of the New Zealand State Highway 1 from the city center in Auckland towards Orewa .
During rush hour traffic on the bridge is very frequent, as it is a bottleneck on the connection axis to the northern parts of the city.
Building and construction
When the bridge didn't exist, the fastest route from Auckland to the North Shore required the use of the ferry. On the road, the journey was only possible via the 40 km detour via West Auckland.
The construction time to build the bridge was four years, the bridge was opened on May 30, 1959 by the Prime Minister Sidney Holland . It had two lanes in each direction. Four people died during the construction work; a memorial stone was erected for them on the northern bridgehead.
Initially, the bridge was subject to tolls , with toll booths on the north side. On March 30, 1984 the toll was abolished and the toll booths eliminated.
The four-lane bridge was soon no longer able to cope with the traffic, due to the rapid growth of the districts on the north coast, the capacity of the bridge had to be increased. In 1969 two lanes were added on both sides of the bridge, so that the bridge now has eight lanes. For this purpose, a Japanese company built special bridge segments that could be attached to the side. Their lifespan was given as 50 years, but due to damage they may have to be replaced earlier.
Further increase in traffic density
Traffic control measures
Since the traffic volume is strongly dependent on the time of day, a control system was installed so that the two middle traffic lanes are always used according to the main traffic direction. This means that during the morning rush hour, five lanes can be used for southbound traffic towards Auckland, and five lanes for northbound traffic in the afternoon. At the other times the tracks are divided equally.
For many years, it was controlled using light signals placed in the middle of the roadway. In the late 1980s there were a number of head-on collisions, which is why a movable concrete barrier was installed in 1990, with which the traffic can be directed according to the currently used lanes. This barrier is automatically moved by one lane four times a day, the whole process takes 40 minutes.
Future plans
Despite the expansion of the bridge and the traffic control measures, it is still a bottleneck, not least because of the increasing settlement of the northern parts of Auckland. This increases the need for another port crossing.
There are several plans for this, which include building a new bridge alongside the existing one, a tunnel, or a combination of both. In 1996 a detailed feasibility study was carried out which currently includes a new bridge approx. 500 m west of the existing one or a tunnel just east of it. A final decision has not yet been made, probably due to the immense costs and the urban development effects in the area surrounding this project.
Web links
Coordinates: 36 ° 49 ′ 45.5 ″ S , 174 ° 44 ′ 47.5 ″ O