'Major milestone' for Big Lift: Final section of Macdonald Bridge replaced

The 46th and final section of the decades-old Macdonald Bridge has been replaced, finishing the nearly two-year-long effort to redeck the suspension bridge spanning Halifax Harbour.

Work on the project has beendone overnight on weekdays since March 2015. And since October 2015, the Macdonald Bridge has beenclosed on weekends as well.

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They spliced the suspended structure into about 20-metre-long sections weighing up to 150 tonnes that were lowered onto trucks or barges in the harbour.

They then put in new deck segments to fill the gaps in time for daily rush-hour traffic.

2nd time structure replaced

A spokesperson for the local authority responsible for the bridges called the final installation an "engineering feat" and says it's the second time that an entire suspended structure has been replaced while allowing about tens of thousands of crossings on an average workday.

The redecking process was pioneered on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver more than a decade ago.

Alison MacDonald of Halifax Harbour Bridges says the redecking phase of the construction project was originally scheduled to wrap up in fall 2016 but progress was stalled by brisk winds and poor weather.

MacDonald says this weekend's "major milestone" should bring an end to routine weekend closures, but the bridge will still be shut down from 7:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Repaid through tolls

She says pedestrians who have been forced to use a shuttle service since the bridge's sidewalks and bike lanes were closed last summer should be able to cross without a car some time next month.

MacDonald says the next tasks include replacing the floor beams beneath the deck and suspension cables, as well as dehumidifying the bridge's main cable.

She says the more than $200-million "Big Lift" project has been financed by a loan from Nova Scotia's provincial government that will be repaid through toll fees and is scheduled to be complete this fall.