Commuters in Halifax will be facing more detours as a road closure on the Halifax peninsula threatens to snarl traffic for weeks to come. The busy off-ramp from the MacKay Bridge to Massachusetts Avenue and Robie Street in the north end is set to close Sept. 21 for more than two months for a rebuilding project. “It needs to be closed because there is underground infrastructure that needs to be installed and then it’s a complete regrading,” says Megan Soroko, a program manager with the Halifax Regional Municipality. “When the new ramp is open, it will serve as an alternate route to Bayne Street for port traffic.” The new ramp would mean a more direct path to the Fairview Cove Terminal for truckers. There will also be a connection to Lady Hammond Road and an easier connection between the MacKay Bridge and the Bedford highway. This comes at a time when there are a number of other major road projects underway, like other parts of the Windsor Street exchange and Bayers Road. “We’ve really carefully considered the timing of our project in relation to other projects that are ongoing to reduce any major conflicts happening at the same time,” Soroka says. As usual, when there’s work on one bridge, traffic on the other is expected to increase. “We do expect that there will be some backups across the [Macdonald] bridge, particularly as people get used to the detour. When they can’t go off to Robie Street and they’ve got a little detour to follow,” says Halifax Harbour Bridges communications manager, Steve Proctor. That will add to the 70,000 vehicles that cross the Macdonald daily. “Slow down, figure out where you are, pay attention and be patient,” advises Proctor. City officials say work will continue through the night as much as possible. The ramp to Massachusetts Avenue off of the MacKay will be closed overnight next Wednesday and Thursday. It will be closed full-time starting Sept. 21, set to reopen Nov. 27. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
