Detours will be added to travel as the Macdonald Bridge closes to all traffic this weekend. The closure begins Friday at 8 p.m. and will go until 5:30 a.m. Monday and includes bikes and pedestrians. “This is the first full weekend closure. They will be putting a crane on the bridge and building an overhead platform for the workers to use. So, we are very safety conscious, so that means we have to close the pedestrian lane and the bike lane,” says Kelly Shiers, a communications advisor with Halifax Harbour Bridges. This closure lands on a busy weekend for downtown Halifax. The Halifax Wanderers open their season at home Saturday afternoon and are expecting around 5,500 fans in the stands. “Weekends are obviously the best time for them to do that, it doesn’t help us. It doesn’t impact ticket sales usually, but it does impact arrival time to the game for the fans. We have an earlier start than usual tomorrow, 2 p.m., so I assume we may have fans missing the first couple minutes,” says Derek Martin, Halifax Wanderers FC managing partner. Martin says the team is always pleased to see the number of Wanderers fans that support downtown businesses before their games but adds those numbers could change with the closure. “If anything, all it really does is impact the amount of traffic that goes downtown to the bars and restaurants beforehand,” says Martin. Last year this work was done on the tower on the Dartmouth side, now it’s the one closer to Halifax. It’s all part of phase two of the maintenance to extend the life of the green towers, and ultimately the entire bridge. “They are going to start the preparation work. Over the next few months people will see the Halifax tower wrapped and workers will be working overhead. They will be doing inspections, any repairs that are needed and then we will be doing a prospective sheet recoat system,” says Shiers. The Halifax Thunderbirds are also playing Saturday at the Scotiabank Centre. “All I can say is I am just glad I don’t have to drive to work this weekend that’s for sure,” said Halifax resident Jason Garner. “It doesn’t impact me, but I know a lot of people are coming in and using it all the time. It kind of just sucks. I feel like it’s always closed,” said Halifax resident Palmer Lumb. “People are just gonna have to plan ahead, I mean the bridges are old, and they need upkeep and the weekend is the best time to do it,” adds Halifax resident Judi Phillips. Halifax Harbour Bridges say they recognize walking and biking is difficult on the MacKay, the only bridge open this weekend. “We are offering transit tickets to pedestrians and cyclists, and you can pick them up at 125 Wyse Road, the administration building, on the Dartmouth side of the Macdonald Bridge,” says Shiers. The Macdonald has only seen one overnight closure this year and this is the first full weekend. As of right now, Halifax Harbour Bridges says there are no other planned closures for either the Macdonald or MacKay. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
