Description of the attraction
The Harbor Bridge is one of Auckland's most beautiful landmarks. It connects the two shores - St. Mary's Bay and Northcote (central part of the city to the north) through Waitemata Bay. Its construction lasted 5 years - from 1954 to 1959. The bridge is 1,150 meters long, making it the second longest bridge in New Zealand. The main span of the bridge is 244 meters from column to column; the height here reaches 43 meters.
The bridge was built after World War II when Auckland began to grow rapidly northward. Then the project of the bridge was created, which, in addition to the pedestrian part, consisted of six car lanes. However, the cost of the project confused the city authorities, and it was decided to reduce the width of the bridge to four lanes. The pedestrian zone had to be completely abandoned. The project was developed by Freeman Fox & Partners, the contractor was the construction company Cleveland Bridge Co. Parts of the bridge structure were mounted on the shore, then transported by barges to the desired part of the bridge. The construction did not stop even in bad weather.
10 years after the opening, the traffic flowing by the bridge in both directions had grown so much that in 1969 it was decided to increase it by adding two lanes in each direction. Several years later, the structural integrity was compromised by the additional stress on the completed strips. Cracks formed, which were repaired, and in 2007 the movement of trucks on the bridge was prohibited.
Now during rush hour traffic on the bridge is carried out using reverse traffic. The lane allocated for different directions depending on the traffic is fenced off with a portable bump stop. Today, the bridge handles over 170,000 vehicles per day.
