Macdonald Bridge reopens after clogged morning commute
Posted Mar 1, 2016 09:53:47 AM.
Last Updated Mar 1, 2016 04:40:49 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Traffic is once again flowing across the Macdonald Bridge after delays with the Big Lift Project meant it did not open as scheduled for the morning rush hour on Tuesday.
Halifax Harbour Bridges Engineer Jon Eppell said closing the bridge was a safety precaution after delays were caused by an alignment issue that came up as crews were doing prep work for replacement of the eighth bridge segment.
“Last night we took apart an important piece of supporting structure and in order to get it back together, which took us longer than anticipated, we had to keep the bridge closed,” he said.
We had to remove some of the existing steel when we went to fit up the new steel. The alignment was not as expected and so we had to make modifications in the field,” Eppell explained.
After failing to open at 5:30 a.m., Halifax Harbour Bridges initially hoped to have the Macdonald Bridge opened by 6:15 a.m., however after several delays, they eventually changed the estimated time of opening to a ‘TBD’.
Adding to the travel woes on Tuesday morning, the Big Lift Project’s app and website both crashed, at some points showing users that the bridge was fully open when in fact it was not.
Traffic delays and headaches built up throughout the city, as traffic was limited to the MacKay Bridge, which also saw two accidents during the morning commute.
Halifax Harbour Bridges CEO Steve Snider added the delays, which last happened twice in one week in October, are something no one wants to see.
“This isn’t good for the contractor, it’s not good for us, and we know it sure as heck isn’t good for all of our customers who count on us to be open to traffic each and every morning,” he said. “All I can say is I’m sorry.”
“When the contractor comes off the site, our staff will sit down and go through in great detail what it is that occurred last night, where the challenges came from and what we do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
While he apologized for the delayed opening, Snider added the Big Lift Project is a complicated one, meaning he can’t promise it won’t happen again.
“It’s like doing a renovation on an older building, unfortunately for as much planning as you do, surprises can happen,” he said.
Traffic finally starting moving on the bridge just before 10 a.m., while both the Big Lift Project website and app were back online by noon on Tuesday.
