Auckland faces a weekend of traffic chaos with violent winds threatening to close the Harbour Bridge, as well as planned disruption from a march and convoy.
A red alert has been issued for the bridge between 4am-8am on Saturday, with wind gusts expected to reach 90-100km/h.
An amber alert has also been issued between 8am and 8pm, with wind gusts of 75-85km/h forecast. Winds are expected to ease on Saturday evening.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says under a red alert all lanes on the bridge may close, while an amber alert may see speeds reduced and some lanes closed.
"Motorists are urged to drive to the conditions, look out for the electronic message boards which will indicate lane closures and reduced speeds, and stay within their lane while travelling across the bridge," Waka Kotahi said in a statement.
Drivers of high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists should avoid the bridge and use the western ring route on State Highways 16 and 18.
"The safety of road users is our top priority and we won't hesitate to reduce speeds or close lanes if necessary," Waka Kotahi added.
Meanwhile Auckland Transport (AT) is warning the public to be prepared for two planned events that will impact travel.
The first event is a march on Saturday between Franklin/Ponsonby Road and Western Park, along Ponsonby Road. AT says it will likely cause disruption to traffic and public transport in the city from 10am until 1pm.
There will be temporary bus detours in place on Ponsonby Road, so AT says customers should check live departures on the AT mobile app to see which stops are impacted.
The second event is a convoy involving slow-moving traffic on Sunday, which will likely cause disruption from 10am until 3pm.
The convoy is expected to travel north on SH1 from the Ramarama on-ramp, exiting the motorway at the Onewa off-ramp (across the Harbour Bridge).
The convoy plans to re-enter the motorway at the Onewa on-ramp southbound (across Auckland Harbour Bridge) and then travel through the Auckland CBD to Ellerslie Racecourse.
AT asks the public to use the journey planner to plan your public transport journey in advance and expect delays in surrounding areas. You can check live departures before you travel here: Auckland Transport (at.govt.nz)
