Victoria Road Interchange closed again to facilitate emergency removal of lighting masts

Halifax Harbour Bridges closed the Victoria Road Interchange again Monday to carry out inspection and removal of several large light standards in the area.

The removal effort was initiated as a precautionary measure following an early morning incident Sunday when a 20-metre lighting mast collapsed across two lanes of Victoria Road in high winds. No one was injured, but two vehicles were damaged.

During the inspection of the 13 remaining lighting masts, evidence of fatigue was immediately apparent in three other structures and they were removed overnight. Inspection work carried out Monday morning found four other masts with similar signs of fatigue.

To facilitate the safe and speedy removal of the masts, HHB closed the Victoria Road Interchange and Bridge access to Highway 111 Monday morning. Work to remove the masts is underway and is expected to take most of the day and into the early evening.

Several cranes with 150-foot reach are on the scene.

The masts were installed by the Department of Transportation in 2001. They were inspected three years ago when the top halogen lighting section was replaced by an LED system. There was no sign of fatigue at that time.