Since June 2015, cyclists have not been allowed to cross the Macdonald Bridge on their bikes. While drivers have only had to deal with bridge closures on evenings and weekends, the bridge has been closed to cyclists all of the time. As the bike lane re-opening keeps getting pushed further and further ahead, I continue […]
Big Lift
Posted inNews + Opinion
Meet the Big Lifters
[Image-1] Everybody’s working for the weekend. At least, that’s the case for folks involved with the Big Lift project. On this particular Sunday morning, it’s sunny. Lucky for the workers. It usually takes high winds for a day’s work to get cancelled—15 meters per second, to be exact. This weekend’s re-decking began on Friday and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Big Lift ramps up deck replacements to meet deadlines
[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, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why weren’t we ready for the Big Lift?
Why weren’t we ready for The Big Bump? If you waited hours to get across the MacDonald Bridge lately, you might be wondering why there wasn’t a better plan to deal with the traffic chaos. For more than two years, the Halifax Harbour Bridge Commission has invested in a communications campaign for The Big Lift. It […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Tuesday’s 9 things we’re talking about
1 Way to be a buzzkill, HRM. The Macdonald Bridge is now closed on Friday evenings (starting this weekend) due to the Big Lift. Previously the massive re-decking project was previously only closing the harbour bridge Sunday through Thursday, from 7pm to 5:30am. Now bridge traffic will be cut off six nights a week for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The strange authority of the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission
[Image-1] It’s taken years of planning to put together The Big Lift. This will mark only the second time a suspension bridge will have its deck completely replaced while remaining open to traffic during the day. Shuttle service begins this weekend, but deck segment replacement won’t start until August. It’s a massive undertaking, and one […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What’s that noise at night in the north end?
[Image-1] Insomniacs and those wandering home from the bars may have noticed some odd noises in the north end lately. A soft jackhammering has been drifting across the waves, carried along by the cool summer air and caused by continual Big Lift work on the Macdonald Bridge. “We have started rivet busting, which is loud, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The bridge shuttle just got slightly less inconvenient
[Image-1] Seems like the Big Lift isn’t turning into as much of a big mess as initially feared. Traffic problems so far appear minor, and if anyone’s angry about the 18-month disruption in their commute we’ve yet to hear from them over at The Coast. Now comes word that the bridge commission will, thankfully, run […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Which irritating bridge shuttle should you take for the next year?
[Image-1] Once again we thank the Big Lift for its upcoming 18-month-long disruption of our lives. Starting next week, Halifax Transit won’t travel across the Macdonald Bridge after 6:30pm (from Sunday through Thursday). To compensate, HT will run a special shuttle service between Halifax and Dartmouth five nights a week. Which is confusing, since Halifax […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Big Lift to be a big drag
[IMage-1] Welcome to The Coast’s ongoing coverage of the Big Lift. Get comfortable, we’re going to be here for a while. For the next 18 months, Halifax and Dartmouth are going to have to get acclimated to reduced use of the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge as significant and necessary repairs aim to extend the life […]