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Mackay Bridge

Liberals pushing for answers on cost of replacing MacKay Bridge in Halifax

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We are just less than 15 years away from needing to replace the MacKay Bridge and the Liberals are grilling the Houston government for answers on how it would be paid for.

The fall sitting of the legislature wrapped up on Friday but not before MLA for Lunenburg West Becky Druhan pushed for answers on privatization.

“The premier is offering the MacKay Bridge to private investors,” said Druhan. “Private investors are not charities. They expect a return.”

Tim Houston was in Toronto last week at a global investment summit looking for investors for 20 projects in Nova Scotia. Druhan said, the MacKay Bridge was one of them.

It was part of the 2024 spring budget to remove the tolls from the Macdonald and MacKay bridges. It was estimated they brought in about $40 million a year.

Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said they are unsure of what the return of investment will be, but one thing is certain, the tolls will not go back on the bridge.

“There are many ways to recoup and investment,” said Tilley.

In July, the province put out a tender to hire a consultant to look at all the options available to replace the MacKay including building a new one or creating a tunnel between Halifax and Dartmouth.

At that time, Peter Hackett, the deputy minister of Link Nova Scotia said he could not confidently say it would get done on time.

The deadline to hire a consultant and get them working is October 21. The deadline for the final study is May 31, 2028.

Mackay Bridge

Update 10 p.m.: Hwy 111 reopens after cement truck tipped

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The main highway between Halifax and Dartmouth has reopened after an earlier closure.

A section of Highway 111 closed Thursday afternoon after a cement truck tipped over earlier in the day on the ramp from Victoria Rd onto the circumferential.

At about 3:30 p.m., police said they had to shut down that section of the road to clear the truck out.

According to Halifax Professional Fire Fighters, it happened around 11 a.m. and one person was sent to hospital.

By 7:30 p.m., Halifax Harbour Bridges said Highway 111 was fully opened. As of 10 p.m., the ramp was also opened.

Mackay Bridge

Province looking for consultant to create MacKay bridge replacement plans

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The provincial government has taken the first step to create a plan to replace the MacKay bridge.

They put out a tender to hire a consultant to look at all the options available. It opened in 1970 and must be replaced by 2040.

Peter Hackett, the deputy minister for Link Nova Scotia, says he cannot say yet if it will get done on time.

“I couldn’t be confident until I actually see the study. I have to see what’s in front of us first,” says Hackett.

The deadline to hire the consultant and get them working is Oct. 21 this year, according to the tender document. The deadline for their final study is May 31, 2028.

Three main options for the bridge include replacing it, building a new one, or creating a tunnel from Halifax to Dartmouth.

Public Works Minister Fred Tilley says the plan will include how much those will cost, the risks and rewards of each option, and how they will affect the nearby communities.

“At the end of the day, getting this report, it’s going to provide information as to what would be the most appropriate option for the transportation corridor over the narrows.”

Later, when asked what his favourite option would be, Tilley said the most cost effective one that helps the city grow.

Meanwhile, Liberal leader Iain Rankin says the government is just pushing the plan back, according to a statement.

He says we need a plan and not another study.

“We have limited time to get this right,” says Rankin in a statement.

NDP leader Claudia Chender echoed some of Rankin’s concerns.

In a statement, she says people deserve to know when the work will begin, as well as how they will pay for it and if they hope to get federal funding.

She adds that the province just removed tolls from the bridges at a time when revenue is a huge problem.

“Commuters are spending way too much time in traffic and, as our region grows, we can’t afford to keep kicking major decisions down the road,” says Chender.

Mackay Bridge

NDP worries MacKay bridge replacement delayed with new tender

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The government has officially taken the first step to create a plan to replace part of the aging MacKay Bridge, but the opposition is worried this is a sign of a delay.

They put out a tender last week for companies to bid on conducting a rehab study, which will show the government how to maintain the approach spans. That is the part of the road from the land to the first section of the bridge held up by the supports in the water.

The successful bid will create a plan to preserve the approach spans in the medium-term, about 20 years, and how it should be replaced or rehabilitated in the long-term, about 75 years, according to the tender document.

The bridge opened in 1970, and according to multiple reports, it must be repaired or replaced by 2040.

“The approaches are just as important from a safety perspective as the bridge. It is standard engineering practice to do this kind of evaluation for the medium and long-term,” wrote a spokesperson for Link Nova Scotia and Halifax Harbour Bridges.

This is only a part of the government’s approach to that necessary replacement, but on the way, they say the MacKay Bridge will continue “to be evaluated and maintained to ensure safety.”

Meanwhile, NDP leader Claudia Chender says this tender raises questions of whether the government is “delaying their decision on replacing the bridge.”

“The decisions we make about the MacKay Bridge today will shape how people move around our city for generations,” wrote Chender in a statement.

She adds, “This is one of the biggest infrastructure projects facing our province, and we need a plan that works to improve traffic congestion and support better public transportation.”