From 6pm tonight to 7am tomorrow, an amber alert warning is in place for the Auckland Harbour Bridge with forecast westerly winds of 75-85km/h. There is the potential for winds to briefly rise to 90-100km/h (signalling a red alert) during squally thunderstorms and heavy showers.

It is important to note that these brief gusts are dependent on heavy showers/thunderstorms moving over the bridge itself.

Winds should remain strong throughout much of Thursday, but at this stage there is a low risk of winds becoming strong enough to signal a red alert.

Under an amber alert, speeds are reduced and some lanes close on the bridge and under a red alert, all lanes on the bridge are closed.

Motorists are urged to drive to the conditions, look out for the electronic message boards which will indicate lane closures and reduced speeds, or full bridge closure, and stay within their lane while travelling across the bridge.

Drivers of high sided vehicles and motorcyclists are advised to avoid the Auckland Harbour Bridge and use the western ring route on State Highways 16 and 18.

Waka Kotahi is working closely with Metservice to monitor wind speeds with maintenance crews out on the network ready to react and close lanes on the bridge if wind gusts exceed threshold levels. The safety of road users is our top priority and we won’t hesitate to reduce speeds, close lanes or close the bridge if necessary.

Waka Kotahi thanks road users for their patience and understanding.

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