Imagine Spring Garden Road

Your home for ongoing construction updates

Spring Garden Road is one of the region's busiest pedestrian shopping streets and a major corridor for Halifax Transit. Anchored by the popular Halifax Central Library at one end and the spectacular Halifax Public Gardens at the other.

This area will benefit from the upcoming street and sidewalk improvements, including wider sidewalks with pavers, the undergrounding of all wiring, the addition of planters, trees, seating and public art. Renderings and project information to date can be found here.

Project Update #18 - October 5, 2021

This week the contractor will be: 

• Finishing the installation of ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and South Park Street;
• Finishing the install of ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and Dresden Row;
• Beginning to install soil cells between Brenton Street and Dresden Row;
• Finishing the construction of the expanded communication vault at Dresden Row and backfilling the intersection;
• Continuing construction of the communication manhole at the Birmingham intersection;
• Beginning the installation of soil cells between Birmingham Street and Queen Street (north side); Installing curb around Scotiabank at Brenton Street;
• Prepping area around McDonalds and Lawtons for the installation of the granite bollards, and preparing the area for pavers in the coming weeks

Notices:

• Notices will be circulated regarding a temporary intersection closure at Dresden Row from 4-9 a.m. This will likely happen Thursday (Sept. 30) or Friday (Oct. 1). Local access will be maintained to Dresden Row during this work.
• Nova Scotia Power will be directly contacting property owners between Brenton Street and South Park Street in the coming weeks regarding a power outage to the customers required to transition from an overhead connection to the underground connection.
• A noise by-law exemption has been issued from September 15, 2021 to November 10, 2021 inclusive from 4-7 a.m. Monday-Friday to complete work related to installing temporary access to businesses and buildings. This will ensure access is maintained to the various businesses during working hours without disruption while work underground and in the vicinity of the sidewalks adjacent to the properties is completed. Notices are being circulated to those impacted.
• As we continue to move work into the sidewalk areas, and flip pedestrians into the street, it is crucial for all businesses to remove any remaining encroachments – planters and sandwich boards.

The project

Spring Garden Road, between Queen and South Park streets, will be closed to all vehicle and bicycle traffic for the duration of the project, with Halifax Transit being rerouted down Morris Street. The closure will be in place from 6 a.m., Monday, June 7 until late December. 

Pedestrian access to all businesses and properties will be maintained. Business will be open.

Brenton Street will be traffic controlled with access from Clyde Street. The intersections of Spring Garden at South Park Street, Dresden Row, and Birmingham Street will be closed at times to complete work across the intersections with the applicable notification provided in advance.

All Halifax Transit routes that travel on Spring Garden Road will be rerouted at South Park & Queen streets to travel on Morris Street. Bus stops in the construction area will be closed. The following routes will detour along Morris Street: 1, 8, 9A, 9B, 10, 14, 32, 53, 59, 68, 123, 182, 183, 185, 186, 194, and 196. Buses will continue to service existing stops along the detour route.

The municipality has granted a Noise By-Law Exemption to Brycon Construction to work the following hours from June 7 to November 30, 2021:

• All days, except Saturday, Sunday and Holidays observed at the place of work, the contractor can work between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sunday and Holidays, work can take place between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. There will be late evening and night work take place where required to complete this project, notification of this work will be provided as required in the Noise By-Law.

Common Questions about the Spring Garden Road Streetscaping Project

What's happening on Spring Garden Road?

Spring Garden Road, between Queen and South Park streets, will be closed from Monday, June 7 to Tuesday, Nov. 30. This work is in support of Imagine Spring Garden Road (Spring Garden Road Streetscape Project), which aims to beautify the street as well as improve conditions for those walking, rolling, cycling and using Halifax Transit. The final design can be found on ShapeYourCity. 

The full closure is required to minimize the construction duration and allow the work to be completed more safely and efficiently. A Noise By-Law Exemption has been granted for this project. Under this exemption, construction can occur between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, and between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Dresden Row, as well as South Park, Birmingham and Queen streets, will remain open to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Brenton Street will be traffic controlled with access from Clyde Street.

Will this impact businesses?

Businesses will remain open throughout the construction period, and pedestrian access to all businesses and properties will be maintained. 

How will construction impact people walking or rolling?

Pedestrian access to all businesses and properties will be maintained. During sidewalk construction, a marked pedestrian detour will be in place. 

How will construction impact vehicles and bicycles?

The street will be closed to vehicles (including buses and bicycles) between Queen and South Park streets during the construction period. There will be marked detours in place for all northbound and southbound traffic that travels on Spring Garden Road, between Queen and South Park streets. 

Dresden Row, South Park, Birmingham and Queen streets, will remain open to motorist, pedestrian and cyclist traffic, including the intersections at Spring Garden Road. Brenton Street will be traffic controlled with access from Clyde Street. 

How will construction impact buses?

The street will be closed to buses between Queen and South Park Streets during the construction period. 

All bus stops on Spring Garden Road between Queen and South Park streets, will be closed and detoured to Morris Street.

The following routes will detour along Morris Street: 1, 8, 9A, 9B, 10, 14, 32, 53, 59, 68, 123, 182, 183, 185, 186, 194, and 196. Buses will continue to service existing stops along the detour route.

A southbound temporary bus stop has been installed on Queen Street after Clyde Street. Some hourly parking southbound on Queen Street, near Clyde Street, has been removed to accommodate the temporary bus stop. Bus stop 8309 – South Park Street after Morris Street will continue to serve route 4, and temporarily serve routes 1, 8, 9A, 9B, 32, 53, 59, 68, 123, 182, 183, 185, 186, 194, and 196, travelling in a northbound direction only. 

• Note: bus stop 8313 – South Park Street before University Avenue (across the street from stop 8309) will continue to serve route 4 southbound but not the southbound detour routes, due to buses being unable to serve the stop and then make the left onto Morris Street without interfering with traffic.

Bus stop 8333 – Spring Garden Road before South Park Street, will temporarily serve routes 32, 123, 182, 183, 185, 186, 194, and 196.

How will construction impact parking and loading?

The four public on-street parking spaces on Spring Garden Road between Queen and Birmingham streets will be removed. All loading will take place on adjacent side streets. 

Signage on side streets is being adjusted to ensure capacity for both loading and parking. While there is no longer accessible parking on Spring Garden Road, there is accessible on-street parking available on side streets.  

Previous Project Updates

Project Update #16 - September 28, 2021

• Finishing the installation of ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and South Park Street;
• Finishing the install of ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and Dresden Row;
• Beginning to install soil cells between Brenton Street and Dresden Row;
• Finishing the construction of the expanded communication vault at Dresden Row and backfilling the intersection;  
• Continuing construction of the communication manhole at the Birmingham intersection;
• Beginning the installation of soil cells between Birmingham Street and Queen Street (north side);
• Installing curb around Scotiabank at Brenton Street;
• Prepping area around McDonalds and Lawtons for the installation of the granite bollards, and preparing the area for pavers in the coming weeks;

Project Update #15 - September 21, 2021

• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and South Park Street, up to Turkish Delight;
• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and Dresden, up to La Fresca;
• Pouring the concrete walls for the expanded communication vault at Dresden Row;
• Continuing demolition of the communication manhole at the Birmingham intersection; Beginning to form up and pour concrete for the next two planters located by Brenton Street.
• Nova Scotia Power will be moving some transformer banks overnight around Dresden Row and Birmingham Street. This should not impact service to customers.

Project Update #14 - September 14, 2021

• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and South Park Street, up to Turkish Delight;
• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and Dresden, up to La Frasca;
• Constructing the walls for the expanded communication vault at Dresden Row; Beginning demolition of the communication manhole at the Birmingham intersection;
• Beginning to form up and pour concrete for the first two planters located by South Park Street;
• Pouring sidewalk on the northwest corner of Dresden Row; Pouring concrete pads for seating.

Project Update #13 - September 7, 2021

• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between Brenton Street and Dresden Row;
• Installing gravels between Birmingham Street and Queen Street, all cobblestone and tram tracks have been removed;
• Pouring the concrete base and forming the walls for the expanded communication vault at Dresden Row;
• Beginning construction on the communication manhole at the Birmingham intersection; Beginning to form up and pour concrete for the first two planters located by South Park Street;
• Nova Scotia Power will begin to complete work within the vault located at Brenton/Spring Garden.  

Project Update #12 - August 31, 2021

• Completing the concrete work for the Bell Aliant manhole on Dresden Row; demolition is now complete;
• Backfilling the underground electrical work in the Northwest quadrant of the Dresden Row intersection;
• Continuing to install ductbanks along the south side of Spring Garden Road, between South Park Street and Dresden Row;
• Beginning to remove the asphalt and cobblestones/tram tracks at the block between Birmingham Street and Queen Street.
• Nova Scotia Power will begin to complete work within the vault located at Brenton/Spring Garden. 

Project Update #11 - August 24, 2021

• Continuing the demolition of the existing communications vault at Dresden Row, which is to be expanded;
• Backfilling the underground electrical work in the Northwest quadrant of the Dresden Row intersection;
• Installing the ductbank in front of Scotiabank. The communications vault has been installed at the Brenton Street intersection by Scotiabank.
  • Pedestrians have been moved into the roadway around this work. Signage and traffic control staff have been positioned to direct customers through the area;
• Installing soil cells along the north sidewalk starting by South Park Street;
• Nova Scotia Power will be installing poles overnight. The work duration will be impacted by weather and ground conditions, but the tentative schedule is as follows:
  • Wednesday, August 25 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Thursday, August 26 (North Side of Dresden Row and Spring Garden Road)  
  • Sunday, August 29 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday, August 30 (South Side of Dresden Row and Spring Garden Road)     
  • Sunday, August 29 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday, August 30 (North Side of Birmingham and Spring Garden Road)  

Project Update #10 - August 18, 2021

• Demolishing the existing communications vault at Dresden Row, which is to be expanded;
• Excavating for the communications vault to be installed at the Brenton Street intersection by Scotiabank. Pedestrians have been moved into the roadway around this work. Signage and traffic control staff have been positioned to direct customers through the area; 
• A water shutdown is planned for Thursday, August 19, starting at 7 p.m. Notices have been circulated to those who will be impacted.
• To complete this work, Birmingham Street will be closed to local traffic only starting at noon on Thursday and will be removed prior to 6 a.m. Friday, August 20. Parking and loading will be temporarily impacted while the work is taking place; and Nova Scotia Power will be installing poles overnight. The work duration will be impacted by weather and ground conditions. The tentative schedule is as follows:
  • Sunday, August 22 – Dresden Row 
  • Tuesday, August 25 – Birmingham Street

Project Update #9 - August 11, 2021

• Grading gravels in the Dresden to Birmingham block, and begin prepping for the installation of curb;
• Completing reinstatement of the sidewalk along Brenton Street;  
• Excavating on the northside of South Park – Dresden in preparation for soil cell installation;
• Continuing with the installation of underground electrical;
• Nova Scotia Power has completed the drilling for new poles on Dresden Row and Birmingham Street (between Spring Garden and Clyde Street). Installation of new poles will happen overnight in the coming weeks. More information on timelines will be provided once confirmed.

Project Update #8 - July 27, 2021

• Finishing subgrade work and gravels in the Dresden to Birmingham block; 
• Beginning reinstatement of the sidewalk along Brenton Street;
• Nova Scotia Power will be completing work along Brenton Street on Saturday, July 31;
• Nova Scotia Power will begin installing new poles on Dresden Row (between Spring Garden and Clyde) this week starting on Wednesday, July 28 to Friday, July 30.

Project Update #7 - July 21, 2021

• Finishing subgrade work and gravels in the Dresden to Birmingham block;

• Removing the existing curb along Brenton Street and beginning reinstatement of the sidewalk and driveway;

• The municipality will be relocating accessible parking spaces on Dresden Row and Birmingham Street to prepare for next week’s NSP operation on side streets (see below)

• Nova Scotia Power will be pulling cable along Brenton Street on Sunday, July 25. Their crews will be onsite with a crane to complete this work;

• The municipality will be relocating accessible parking spaces on Dresden Row and Birmingham Street to prepare for next week’s NSP operation on side streets.

Project Update #6 - July 13, 2021

• Finishing the work on the storm laterals along the Dresden and Birmingham block;
• Completing work in the section between Birmingham and Queen Street to prepare for the water shutdown this week;
• Installing a gas lateral with Heritage Gas on Brenton Street;
• Removing the existing curb along Brenton Street and beginning reinstatement of the sidewalk and driveway;
• Thursday, July 15: Completed water shutdown #2 with Halifax Water. This shutdown will impact residents between Dresden Row down to Brunswick Street. See the notice sent to impacted properties.

Project Update #5 - July 6, 2021

• Monday, July 5, 2021: the contractor completed water shutdown #1, between South Park Street and Dresden Row. This shutdown included the replacement of two valves, as well as capping and plugging service laterals, and replacing a portion of a lead service lateral.
• Continuing work on the stormwater pipe along the Dresden and Birmingham block
• Beginning work on a new drain for a Nova Scotia Power manhole located on Brenton Street.
• Continuing to complete the ductbank along Brenton Street, which includes pouring concrete for the remainder of work within this project’s work zone.
• Wednesday, July 7: removed the large tree on Spring Garden between Dresden and Birmingham.

Project Update #4 - June 30, 2021

• Completing the installation of storm laterals, including catchbasin work in the South Park and Dresden block.
• Completing the installation of gravels along the roadway in the South Park and Dresden block.
• Continuing with the duct bank work along Brenton Street. About 75% of this work has been completed so far.
• Beginning to remove the tram tracks and cobblestones from the Dresden to Birmingham block.

Project Update #3 - June 22, 2021

• Continuing with installation of storm laterals, including catchbasin work, in the South Park and Dresden block.
• Continuing with the roadway removal, which includes the surface, tram tracks, and cobblestones, along the Dresden and Birmingham block.
• Continuing with the duct bank work along Brenton Street.
• A mock shutdown was completed on Monday night to ensure all water valves are operational in advance of the real shut-downs needed later. This testing should minimize the risk of unexpected interruptions in water service. 

Project Update #2 - June 17, 2021

• Continuing with the roadway removal, which includes the surface, tram tracks, cobblestones, and in some areas, the curbs.
• Excavating the west sidewalk on Brenton Street to install the duct bank. This work requires blocking off the northern portion of Brenton Street and the remaining sidewalk on the west side of the street.
• Beginning work on the storm sewer system, which includes work on the catch basins, catch basin leads and other storm services.

Project Update #1 - June 8, 2021

• Fencing is now up and secured, with all required detours in place. This week the contractor will be completing: 
• Pre-construction video inspection and documentation (including pipes)
• Hydro excavation (confirms locations of underground infrastructure) - at a few locations on Wednesday, June 9
• Coordination with Halifax Water to investigate planned water service changes
• Removal of roadway asphalt and old, buried tram tracks
• Marking various proposed features (new curb, water service changes, other)

May 2021

Council has approved the award of the construction tender. View the details related to the award of the tender. Work is underway to prepare for construction beginning in Spring 2021.

December 2020

Construction of a new traffic signal at Sackville Street and Dresden Row has been completed.

To improve traffic circulation in the area and increase loading and parking space on the side streets, parts of Dresden Row and Birmingham Street are becoming one-way. Dresden Row will be northbound, between Clyde Street and Artillery Place, but will remain two-way between Artillery Place and Sackville Street. Birmingham Street will be southbound between Clyde Street and Artillery Place. These changes came into effect Tuesday, Dec. 1.

View an information handout showing the changes coming to the intersections and the one way streets.

Accompanying these one-way changes are a temporary pilot project at the irregular intersection of Artillery Place, Queen Street, and Birmingham Street. This project will test out a new intersection design to improve the safety of this intersection, and will be in place the week of November 30. View the design.