March 28, 2008

Another Halifax harbour crossing urgently needed, bridge commission says

HALIFAX

With Halifax’s population growth and associated traffic congestion, the two existing harbour spans need help from a new bridge or tunnel as early as 2016, the bridge commission said this week.

The existing bridges — built in 1970 and 1955 — aren’t going to be able to handle the growing traffic much longer.

With 32 million crossings a year, up from about 24 million in 1981, the bridges are going to need some help accommodating the daily commuters, said bridge commission chairman Tom Calkin.

And while the argument between a $1.1-billion, six-lane bridge and a $1.4-billion, four-lane tunnel has yet to be played out, the best place for the third crossing has already been selected.

The new connector could link Woodside, at Highway 111, with the CN Rail cut in the south end at the container terminal.

The province has already announced its plans to pave the south-end rail cut to accommodate trucks servicing the container pier as part of the Atlantic Gateway.

A study, done four years ago, revealed that the cost to pave and widen that could reach as high as $50 million.

In addition to the cost of the construction for the new crossing and its approaches, there are also issues of land ownership to be played out.

However, Calkin said that they have the “option to expropriate land.”

Canadian Press

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