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Updated at 6:43pm: A reader of Sunlive reported that traffic is at a standstill in the left lane of SH29A heading towards Maungatapu. They believe that the traffic in the opposite direction is starting to clear up as cars are beginning to move from Maungatapu towards the Mount. They have been stuck in traffic for 45 minutes.
The reader also mentioned that some vehicles in the left lane have been turning around to travel back in the second lane. This is because a median barrier runs along the highway to the Maungatapu Bridge, making it impossible to switch to the lane heading towards the Mount. Some drivers have resorted to using the side shoulder to turn around.
Updated at 6:15pm: State Highway 29A is closed as emergency services attend to an incident on Maungatapu Bridge. The police responded to reports of a person who jumped off the bridge around 5:40pm. The individual is now safe on shore and does not seem to have any serious injuries.
Earlier at 5:46pm: The highway was closed due to the same incident. A Sunlive reader who was driving from the Baypark intersection towards Maungatapu reported being stuck in traffic for over 10 minutes on the Mount Maunganui side of the bridge. They saw a fire engine blocking the road on the same side.
The reader added that everyone heading towards Maungatapu is now turning around just before the bridge and heading back towards Mount Maunganui. The traffic is backed up all the way to the speedway. Before this turnaround, the reader reported that traffic heading towards Maungatapu had completely stopped.
The police were spotted on the left side of the bridge. The reader was halfway between the corner and the bridge when they saw more flashing lights coming down the highway from Maungatapu towards the bridge, along with an ambulance. Traffic from Maungatapu was moving slowly, one car at a time. The reader is now heading back towards the Mount, planning to go to Tauranga over Tauranga harbour bridge.
