There is about to be a major change to bus routes in Halifax next week that is expected to cause significant delays.
The second phase of the Cogswell District project is about to be underway.
It is a multi-year initiative that will cost roughly $120 million and support more than 3,400 homes.
Another $5 million toward the project was announced Tuesday, to remove a bridge, two retaining walls as well as remediation on contaminated soil.
Halifax Mayor, Mike Savage says, “it is the largest, most ambitious city-building project in the history of this municipality, reconnecting downtown with the north end of the waterfront, and it will add much needed housing.”
As a result, for the next six months, buses will be rerouted, while the four bus bays at Scotia Square will be relocated.
Amalgamated Transit Union 508 President Ray MacKenzie, tells our newsroom that until the changes go into effect, they really don’t know exactly what will happen but that it will be a “major hiccup” in traffic.
He says, however, that the situation is out of the bus drivers’ control and to expect delays, city-wide.
“Understand we are doing the best we can to try to get our public as safely and as on-time as we can.”
How busy traffic congestion will actually get, MacKenzie says, depends on the general public.
“Historically, once you hit the summer months normally traffic lightens up because of the vacation time…but that’s not even a guarantee because we are also going to have our downtown core for tourist attractions…so we don’t know what that is going to bring as well.”
MacKenzie says, if there is a decent number of people downtown, there will be massive congestion.
He adds that the issue with major closures is not only construction all over the city, but random bridge closures on the weekend, adding major stress to bus drivers.
“We had buses running over an hour late on the weekend, …we had the MacKay bridge closed… both days we ended up having an incident on the Macdonald… a little fender bender, then there is nowhere to go. We are on the peninsula so getting into the city, there are only so many ways to get in. The Bedford Highway was completely jammed, the Macdonald bridge was completely backed up…it was horrendous trying to get around.”
Bigger bus stops
Once this phase is complete, there will be a new transit hub on Barrington Street that will include heated shelters, more seating, a layover space and wider sidewalks.
MacKenzie says a longer bus bay will be welcome because they have currently outgrown the current one and it can get very crowded.
In the meantime, he says, it is a waiting game to see how this is all going to play out.
Construction starts Monday.