The Auckland Harbour Bridge is on a high wind alert, with strong gusts threatening to lower speed limits and close lanes this afternoon.

Between 1pm and 3pm, strong wind may impact traffic on the bridge, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said.

The transport agency said motorists should be cautious, especially motorcyclists and those in high-sided vehicles.

Earlier this month, Waka Kotahi defended its closing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge during high winds amid criticisms it was “scare-mongering” with “knee-jerk overreactions”.

The transport agency’s chief executive, Nicole Rosie, responded to the Employers and Manufacturers Association’s (EMA) call for Waka Kotahi to review its policies around closing the bridge.

EMA head of advocacy Alan McDonald rebuked recent closures for causing a loss of economic activity by delaying the trucking of freight and keeping workers stuck on the North Shore.

 “Businesses in the central city and workplaces around the greater Auckland region can’t keep putting up with disruptions to their workforces and businesses on the off-chance the bridge might close,” McDonald said.

“It increasingly appears that [the wind speed] thresholds [Waka Kotahi has for closing the bridge] are simply too low,” he said.

Earlier this month, Waka Kotahi defended its closing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge during high winds amid criticisms it was “scare-mongering” with “knee-jerk overreactions”. Photo / File, Michael Craig

Rosie said the transport agency didn’t take the decision to lower speeds, close lanes or close the entire bridge lightly.

“Our top priority is always protecting the safety of bridge users, and protecting the bridge structure,” Rosie said.

“We make no apologies for this.”

In a letter directly to the EMA’s chief executive Brett O’Riley, Rosie said Waka Kotahi had a responsibility to protect public safety and the structural integrity of the bridge.

The transport agency says motorists across the Auckland Harbour Bridge should be cautious this afternoon, especially motorcyclists and those in high-sided vehicles. Photo / Michael Craig

She said the transport agency’s focus on protecting the bridge recognised its “vital importance to the social and economic wellbeing of New Zealand”.

Rosie told O’Riley the wind speed thresholds were “evidence-based and in line with international best practice”, and had been independently reviewed.

“[The thresholds are] based on recommendations from international operators of structures with similar vulnerability to wind as the Auckland Harbour Bridge,” she said.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.