Auckland Transport working to repair dynamic lane lights on Panmure Highway Bridge amid crash fears

Panmure Highway Bridge Google Street View taken in August 2022, showing the cat's eye lights on the dynamic lane. Accessed on 13 August 2024. Photo / Google

There are concerns a head-on crash is imminent on a busy stretch of Auckland road where lights separating traffic have broken.

Auckland Transport (AT) said it was trying to repair the stud lights on the dynamic lane on the Panmure Highway Bridge on Pakuranga Rd but “it’s not a simple fix”.

The Automobile Association (AA), meanwhile, said it was concerned to hear the lights weren’t working.

“On roads with dynamic lanes like [Pakuranga Rd], overhead signs and road lights (or cat’s eyes) are essential to alert motorists when changes are made to the direction of centre lanes to avoid people inadvertently travelling in the wrong direction,” AA’s Auckland spokesman Martin Glynn told the Herald.

“It is concerning to hear the cat’s eyes on [Pakuranga Rd] may not have been functioning properly given the very important safety function they perform and we trust AT will be working urgently to fix the problem,” Glynn said.

Panmure Highway Bridge Google Street View taken in August 2022, showing the cat's eye lights on the dynamic lane. Accessed on 13 August 2024. Photo / Google

AT said it was “working on a solution as the studs have various technical issues and it’s not a simple fix. While we confirm a plan for this, they have been switched off”.

Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Pakuranga Simeon Brown told the Herald he expected AT to fix the issue urgently.

“This isn’t the first time this dynamic lane has had issues,” Brown said.

“I expect Auckland Transport to get this fixed with urgency as east Auckland traffic is already being majorly impacted by the Eastern Busway and Reeves Road Flyover Roadworks.

“The dynamic lane on Panmure Bridge is critical to ensuring traffic move[s] efficiently in and out of East Auckland. Dynamic lanes play a key role in keeping traffic moving and maximising efficiency of road space.”

Google Street View taken in August 2020, showing no cat's eye lights on the dynamic lane. Photo / Google

More dynamic lanes could be installed across the city, with the latest Long-Term Plan adopted by Auckland Council in June outlining they would be used to help reduce congestion.

The Long-Term Plan outlined dynamic lanes as a “key project” with $600 million going towards them and other ways to “optimis[e] the transport network”.

Mayor Wayne Brown included dynamic lanes in his proposal for the plan, saying in May it was an example of a “low-cost initiative” to improve traffic in Auckland.

AT chief executive Dean Kimpton has also spoken about the role dynamic lanes could play in reducing congestion, saying last November it was a way to get “more efficiency on the existing road network”.

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