Crash Blocks Auckland Harbour Bridge

8am A crash involving two cars and a truck has closed the centre lanes of the harbour bridge in both directions - the clip-on lanes are still open.

It appears that a city bound car lost control on the uphill slope of the bridge, crossed all lanes and the red-chip divider, striking the centre barrier. A southbound truck then jack-knifed in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the vehicle, blocking the centre lanes. Another car then ran into the truck.

A woman was trapped for a short time in one of the cars and has been taken to hospital with moderate injuries. There are no reports of any other injuries.

The centre barrier was knocked out of alignment in the crash forcing the closure of the north bound centre lanes and the barrier transfer vehicle is on standby, ready to realign the barrier once vehicles have been cleared from the scene.

The closures are causing delays, mainly for south bound traffic which is reported to be banked up back to Esmond Road.

The tail is expected to grow as traffic flows increase - expect week-day travel times.

The scene is expected to take an hour at least to clear; reopening at about 10.00 am.

New Zealand Police Alert 10:00am 19 Jul 2008 Auckland City

Location of incident: Harbour Bridge

Incident type: Harbour Bridge Crash Update

All lanes are now open and tails are clearing.
Issued By: Inspector Ian Brooker