Residents notice lack of workers on St. Margarets Bay Road over the weekend

Residents in the St. Margarets Bay Road-area are wondering where the workers were this past weekend.

In mid-October, Halifax Regional Municipality announced the completion date for the construction project between Quarry Road and Douglas Drive would be pushed back to late November.

They stated crews would be on the job seven days a week in order to finish the work as quickly as possible, but people living in the area say there was no sign of them over the weekend.

Nick Ritcey, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said the contractor was on site Saturday doing work including installing a catch basin, removing temporary water infrastructure and surveying the layout for the remainder of the project.

However Ritchey confirms the company made the decision to rest its workers on Sunday, adding they will be subject to a $5,000 per day penalty for any delays.

He's been told crews will be on site every day for the remainder of the project, which he said is still scheduled to wrap up by the end of the month.

Both residents and businesses are affected by the closure

Spryfield-Sambro-Prospect Road councillor Stephen Adams said those living in his district are affected by the closure, as many normally use that route to drive on and off the peninsula.

Adams told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show, he's cautious of giving an end date now because of the project delays.

“I don't really feel comfortable giving out timelines anymore because, you just never know how these things are going to change,” he told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show.

The main artery shut down in July for what was expected at the time to be an 11-week project.

The municipality listed several reason for the construction extension, including finding bedrock under the street, but Adams said that shouldn't have been a surprise.

“It's right next to Quarry Road,” he said. “Just a little bit of background checking could have showed them that.”

Many local businesses say they have been hurt by the shut down, with some even choosing temporarily to close their doors due to lack of business.