A Bridge Too Far

I know I'm generalising here, but Kiwi's aren't overly fond of thinking ahead and much prefer just see what happens. Living in the moment does have its attractions; never be late, never be disappointed and and always have things turn out exactly as you planned. Sounds great. But in direct contradiction to the way that we run our life. Whether it's because we're Engineer's and Project Managers or because we don't mind being disappointed, we need to think ahead. 

We have tried on several occasions to live life on the edge and just wing it, but alas it didn't turn out well. A few years back now, we were on holiday in Colorado and were travelling around the state for a few weeks checking out the sights and attractions. For some inexplicable reason, we just couldn't relax. The holiday just refused to get going and we spent each day wondering what was up with us and why we weren't enjoying ourselves. It wasn't the place. Admittedly, the sight of a gun counter in the first supermarket we went in did put us on edge a little but we were over that. The people were super friendly and the scenery was fantastic. 

Yet the holiday was heading towards being a huge waste of time and money. Suddenly, whist relaxing, or at least trying to relax, in our room in Breckenridge the cent dropped. We needed to plan the trip. As soon as it was said, it was obvious. Staring us in the face really. Up to this point we were doing  what everyone else did and just set off in the morning and see where the road took us. 

Sure we ended up in some interesting places - the most notable being a particularly rustic hotel in Ouray. Not sure what we were expecting for $15 a night but it was an experience. Why? Well put it this way, we weren't alone in our room - there was definitely an uninvited non-human guest sharing our space. And the communal bathroom? I still shudder at the thought of having to wade through four inches of water to get to the sink. So we sat down on the bed with the maps and planned the rest of the trip. Once done, it was as if someone had flicked the 'relax' switch. Now we were on holiday.

The historic Western Hotel is the oldest hotel in the state. And no doubt the cheapest!

Since then, everything has been planned and nothing left to chance. Unable to travel outside the country, next month we're hiring a camper van and doing a tiki-tour of the North Island. I did suggest that, as it was off-season, we could just head off and see where we end up.  There was a long silence and before we both broke out in laughter at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. Even in a place as laid back and safe as New Zealand it wasn't going to happen. 

So we're planners and we know it. I do sometimes envy those who can just see where life takes them but that's not me. Jealous? Well a little bit but it can have it's disadvantages. 

Take an example a few years ago. I happened to note casually to colleagues that we were off to see the All Blacks play Australia in the Bledisloe Cup that evening. They were astonished. What? How? But it's sold out! I had a cunning plan, I told them. I noted when the tickets were being released and....well here's the cunning part.... went online and booked them! I know. Flippin' sneaky or what. The cheek of it. I mean, it's not like I queued up at the ticket office for hours. No instead, coffee in hand, I sat in my PJs and just bought them. Strewth, whatever next. 

Lack of planning in New Zealand is not a new phenomenon. The Auckland Harbour Bridge, often noted as one of Auckland most iconic features, is a case in point.  

The bridge took four years to construct and was opened in 1959. Before then,  the quickest way from Auckland to the North Shore was by passenger or vehicular ferry and this was simply not acceptable to the few commuters. By road, the shortest route was via the NW motorway, which was only partly completed, with an overall distance of approximately 50 km.

The recommendations of the design team and the report of the 1946 Royal Commission were for five or six traffic lanes, with one or two of them to be reversed in direction depending on the flow of traffic, and with a footpath for pedestrians on each side. Nonsense, said the National Government of New Zealand, what poppycock. The Northshore was a rural area with a population of only 50,000, few jobs and a growth rate of less than half of the rest of Auckland. They're country bumpkins so what would they want with such a large structure. Obviously I'm paraphrasing there but my guess is I'm not that far off the verbatim discussion.

So with a cry of "austerity measures ahoy!" the pedestrian and cycling facilities were dropped and the number of lanes reduced to four. That was plenty for farmers and their animals. 

The bridge took four years to build (fun fact bridge fans - it was built by Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company from Darlington in the UK) and was completed in April 1959, three weeks ahead of schedule, and opened the following month. To mark the occasion, 106,000 walked across the new structure and I'm sure the irony wasn't wasted on some of the assembled crowd that this would be the last time that people could actually cross the bridge on foot.

Auckland Harbour Bridge under construction

Owing to the rapid expansion of suburbs on the North Shore and increasing traffic levels, it was soon necessary to increase capacity – by 1965, the annual use was about 10 million vehicles, three times the original forecast. In 1969, only ten years after opening, two-lane box girder clip-on sections were added to each side, doubling the number of lanes to eight. The sections were manufactured in Japan so, inevitably maybe, became known as the 'Nippon clip-ons'. And, surprise surprise, the cost of the adornments far exceeded the cost of building a bridge with enough capacity in the first place. Austerity ahoy indeed!

Fast forward to present day and the bridge now carries 180,000 vehicles per day, and it has to be said, not a single farm animal. To help with the management of the flow of traffic, a moveable concrete safety barrier has been installed to allow more lanes for the inbound morning traffic and similar for the evening return home. Two specially designed machines move the barrier by one lane four times a day. It was the first in the world and a true example of Kiwi ingenuity.

Unfortunately, the clip-ons have been plagued with problems. Several major rounds of repairs have been completed and in 2007 a report surfaced that noted "the clip-ons were at risk of catastrophic, immediate failure in circumstances such as a traffic jam trapping a large number of trucks."

A second crossing has been discussed but has remained on the drawing board for the time being.  With a design life of 50 years for the clip ons, time is indeed running out for the structure. 

This hasn't been helped any by recent antics. Last month, a rogue gust of wind (or rouge winds according to a report in a local paper - now that I would have loved to see!) caused a heavy goods vehicle to tip and crash into the bridge structure inflicting significant damage. The bridge was closed whilst inspections and testing were carried out and commuters asked to stay at home. Or get the ferry. Just like the old days. The lorry had collided with one of the supporting struts and had proper bent it (sorry for the engineering term there but I'm sure you get my drift). A replacement wasn't on hand so one had to be made. 

As I type, the bridge is still closed during the evening and traffic is limited during the day. Despite many working form home due to the Covid-19 restrictions, queues are huge and calls for the construction of a second crossing are getting louder. 

In all honesty, I'm not sure a second crossing is needed. At least not in the form that is currently being suggested. I'm not going to get into specifics but pumping more cars per hour into the city centre is not going to be good for the city. Or more importantly the people who live and work there. Instead of a knee-jerk reaction to give cars yet more space in our city, how about we plan and think about what we really want for Auckland of the future? Like what? Oh, I dunno. Maybe sort out the public transport connections and get a train service into the North Shore and allow people to cycle and walk across the bridge and we'll be sweet. Heck, maybe even allow a cow or two to cross.