It will come as no surprise to anyone who crossed the MacDonald Bridge last weekend, but the number of vehicles travelling between Halifax and Dartmouth was reported to be extremely high.
According to Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB), 47,000 vehicles crossed the 69-year-old bridge throughout the day on Saturday alone.
Last weekend, MacKay Bridge was closed for paving work, so only MacDonald Bridge was open and was busier than usual.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, HHB said the typical number of vehicles crossing the MacDonald Bridge on a given weekend in May is about 33,000.
The busiest day for traffic that month was a whopping 43,800.
Last weekend, only one bridge was closed in Halifax, and many people trying to travel through the city complained of long delays.
The situation worsened on Saturday when a three-vehicle crash brought traffic to a halt on McDonald Street.
It took about an hour to clear it up.
Vehicles cross the MacDonald Bridge. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV Atlantic)
Asked about how HHB handles crashes on the bridge, HHB spokesperson Steven Proctor said in an email to CTV News that they have a contract with a local towing company to arrive at the bridge within 10 minutes.
“There is adequate staffing at McDonald Bridge and additional bridge patrols,” Proctor said. “There is high water on the bridge, but it is flowing, barring any incidents.”
Proctor said that in addition to last weekend's issues, traffic on side roads was also congested, making it difficult for drivers to actually get to the MacDonald Bridge.
Unfortunately for travelers, more of the same can be expected this weekend.
The Mackay Bridge will be closed for planned maintenance from 7pm on Friday. It will reopen to traffic at 5:30am on Monday.
Bike lanes and pedestrian paths on MacDonald Bridge will remain open as usual, and drivers can use the free MACPASS app or visit halifaxharbourbridges.ca for traffic updates.
Other areas where Mackay Bridge closures are scheduled for the upcoming weekend include:
June 21st, 7pm to June 24th, 5:30am July 5th, 7pm to July 8th, 5:30am
According to HHB, the two bridges support more than $120 million in economic activity annually.
When both bridges are open, approximately 105,000 vehicles cross the two bridges on a weekday.
As for weekend work on the nearly 50-year-old MacKay Bridge, Proctor said weather last Saturday hindered some of the work.
“Last Saturday's rain and expected rain this Saturday are hindering the progress of works but we are still hopeful we will be able to complete the necessary works within the four closure periods,” he said.
Pictured is the toll booth at MacDonald Bridge. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV Atlantic)
As for whether HHB has considered eliminating tolls on the bridge during weekend closures to speed up traffic flow, Proctor said tolls are not an issue.
“There are traffic lights on both ends of the bridge and there is a lot of traffic, so we don't expect the toll booths to cause congestion,” he said.
Last Saturday's vehicle crossing was not a record.
Proctor said the highest number of people crossing the McDonald River in the past 15 years was on Dec. 14, 2012.
That day, 50,745 vehicles traveled over the bridge.
“I think there was a transport strike,” Proctor added.
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