[Image-1]
We’re a year in of preparations and all the initial replacement work is apparently finished. So, today, Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) delivered an update on the Big Lift.
By replacing two deck segments a weekend, as opposed to one, 46 deck segments are expected to be complete by the end of this year, in accordance with a newly revised work plan.
But will it be a bridge too far? The bridge commission says the project is on track to be done by the fall of 2017.
The Big Lift is the HHB’s most intensive capital project since 1970, when the MacKay Bridge was officially opened.
“While the time it takes to replace a deck segment has improved greatly, the overall segment replacement is lagging behind where it was planned to be at this stage, writes Jon Eppell, Big Lift project manager and chief engineer, in a press release.
“The weather on weekends and the behaviour of the bridge as segments are removed and replaced, have slowed the project pace,” writes Eppell.
Eppell writes in the release that this new schedule will reduce the risk of late openings during the week.
“We know weekend closures are a significant inconvenience and not as originally planned. However, we believe that if a plan isn’t working the plan needs to be revised,” writes Steve Snider, HHB general manager and CEO.
Under the revised plan, the contractor, American Bridge Canada Company (ABCC) will now be able to complete deck segment replacement and grant daily active transportation access by December 2016.
The Macdonald Bridge will be open 5:30am-7pm Monday to Friday, and closed most weekends for the rest of the year.
Related Stories
Meet the Big Lifters
This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2016.