Summer construction season will see closures of MacKay, Macdonald

The A. Murray MacKay Bridge will be closed for four weekends to allow maintenance and inspection projects that cannot be done when the bridge is open to traffic. The Angus L Macdonald will be closed for maintenance a single weekend and will be closed at other times to accommodate community events.  All planned closures are weather-dependent.

“We understand traffic disruptions occur any time we close a bridge – or even close a lane – so we only take these measures when there is no other way to do the work safely and efficiently,” says Halifax Harbour Bridges CEO Tony Wright. 

“However, as our bridges age, more maintenance is needed to help extend the service life of these structures.  Closures are inevitable.” 

The MacKay closures will take place: 

• Friday, June 7 at 7 p.m. – Monday, June 10 at 5:30 a.m. 
• Friday, June 14 at 7 p.m. – Monday, June 17 at 5:30 a.m. 
• Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. – Monday, June 24 at 5:30 a.m. 
• Friday, July 5 at 7 p.m. – Monday, July 8 at 5:30 a.m. 

The bridge and lane closures will cause traffic delays and heavier than usual traffic on the Macdonald Bridge. 

Consider your options 

Motorists should think about alternate routes or arrange travel with the closure times in mind. Allow extra time to cross the Macdonald Bridge, avoid peak travel hours, use buses and ferries, or leave your vehicle at home and use the pedestrian walkway or bicycle lane on the Macdonald, instead. You can go online at www.halifaxharbourbridges.ca to see live traffic conditions on the bridges or use the MACPASS app (which can be downloaded for free). 

Angus L. Macdonald closures 

The full weekend closure for maintenance work at the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge will begin Friday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. The bridge will reopen to traffic Monday, Aug. 19 at 5:30 a.m.  The pedestrian walkway and bicycle lane will be open, but may there may be intermittent delays.

In addition, the Macdonald Bridge will also be closed at these times, with the bike lane and pedestrian walkway unaffected:

• Sunday, May 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of the Blue Nose Marathon route 
• Sunday, Aug. 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for MACPASS Miles road races and Bridgewalk 2024 
• Monday, Aug. 5 from 7:30 a.m. to noon as part of the Natal Day Parade route.

Anyone with a MACPASS app will receive notifications of any bridge closures or restrictions. In addition, Halifax Harbour Bridges announces closures on its social media sites and on its message boards around HRM.  Local media is also informed of bridge closures.