MacKay Bridge. (CREDIT: Skye Bryden-Blom)
You’ll need a little more change to get across the harbour in the new year.
The toll for both the MacDonald and MacKay bridges is going up to $1.25 on Jan. 3.
Steven Proctor, Communications Manager for Halifax Harbour Bridges, said they need the money for regular maintenance, capital upgrades, and for an upcoming major project on the aging MacKay.
“Bridges are very expensive to maintain,” he said. “The bridge commission is funded completely by the people who use the bridge.”
The cost to cross with a MacPass is going up as well, from 80¢ to $1.00, to the current cash price.
Proctor said that’s on purpose, they hope it’ll push more people to use the transponder.
“There’s seven times less traffic backup for people who use MacPass,” he said. “For the people who are going to use cash, it just means throwing another quarter in the pot.”
Proctor said the bridge would be faster, less congested, and safer if everyone had a MacPass.
