Council takes step forward on Windsor Street exchange redesign

A plan to redevelop the Windsor Street Exchange looks like it is going ahead, according to a regional councillor.

On Tuesday, regional council green lit a plan to address a big jump in expected traffic through the area over the coming years.

According to a staff report, a key change in the plan would allow for free-flowing traffic between the Bedford Highway and the MacKay Bridge, bypassing the main intersection.

Councillor Sam Austin tells CityNews, time is of the essence as financing from the federal government’s national trade corridor fund requires the work to be done by the end of the year, but says he is pleased with Tuesday’s discussion.

“I think council landed at a decent spot, where basically we approved staff continuing to proceed with design, but we drew some lines in the sand on wanting to do better on transit and cycling in there,” Austin explained.

That includes councillors asking for bus lanes to be worked into the existing design, which according to a staff report would allow about 1,200 more vehicles through during peak morning hours and a jump of 800 during the afternoon commute.

The new projected cost of the work is $103 million, up from the original estimate of $50 million in 2019. Ottawa is providing $23 million, but much of the increased cost is falling to the municipality, with Halifax now expected to be on the hook for $63 million, up from $10 million.