In 2020, the Canadian National Railway (CN) is completing rehabilitation/ repairs on a roadway bridge within the municipality at Coburg Road. The work includes:
- Rehabilitation to the arch bridge structures (responsibility of CN).
- Full replacement of the paved surface and railing at each location. The sidewalks will also be replaced (responsibility of the municipality).
- The municipality continues to work closely with CN, as well as colleagues at Halifax Water to ensure proper planning and coordination for the work.
The nature of the work requires that the bridge be fully closed for a portion of the CN Bridges Rehabilitation Project.
Coburg Road
- Beginning in late March, preliminary site preparation - including tree removal - was completed to accommodate repairs to the CN bridge.
- CN is making every effort to remove only the trees required to accommodate repairs to the bridges and, wherever possible, mature trees will not be removed.
- Access to the neighbourhood as well as the Waegwoltic Club will be provided by temporary bridge structure as there is no alternate access. Construction on the temporary bridge began in August and will be complete for traffic by Tuesday, September 8.
- Crews will abide by municipal noise bylaws, and work may also take place on Saturdays and Sundays, if needed.
- Local residents will be updated with ongoing communications from the project team.
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At this time, the project is still on schedule to be complete in Spring 2021 – pending weather factors, CN will reinstate the walking path in May 2021. Further work by the municipality will take place after that time.
- Project updates will be available to the traveling public by visiting halifax.ca
NOTE: A temporary bridge structure will be positioned immediately adjacent to the current bridge. Passenger traffic will access the temporary bridge via Coburg Road directly. See detour here.
Emergency vehicles and other large vehicle traffic will access the West end of Coburg Road via a detour route that begins at the corner of Conrose Avenue and Waegwoltic Avenue. See detour here.
Common Questions
- Why does the CN bridge on Coburg Road need to close entirely?
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A full closure of the CN bridge on Coburg Road is necessary to complete rehabilitation, repairs and safety improvements to the aging infrastructure. The bridge cannot be open to traffic as the structure would not be able to support any mode of transportation while extensive work is being completed.
- How will this affect emergency services in the area?
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We have communicated project details with first responders to ensure proper planning and coordination. Proper planning will allow emergency crews to access the same areas surrounding the bridge, they will be directed to cross the temporary bridge using the Emergency Vehicle/Large Truck access route.
Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency uses a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that regularly adapts to road closures, so there is no anticipated delay in service delivery.
- What types of vehicles need to use the Emergency Vehicle/Large Truck detour route?
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Passenger vehicles will be able to access the temporary bridge directly from Coburg Road. However, larger vehicles will need to follow the Emergency Vehicle/ Large Truck detour route. Access to the Emergency Vehicle/ Large Truck route is available from Jubilee Road, via Beech Street, Geldert Street, and Conrose Avenue. The traffic light for the large vehicle access route will be adjacent to the intersection of Conrose Avenue and Waegwoltic Avenue when travelling West. When travelling east the larger vehicles will pass over the temporary bridge with the passenger vehicles and will then turn left and follow the larger vehicle route back out to Conrose/Waegwoltic. Signage will be in place to direct vehicles.
Some parking in the area will be restricted in order to allow passage of the larger vehicles.
- How will this affect pedestrian traffic in the area?
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The temporary detour bridge has a dedicated pedestrian walkway, as does the temporary access roadway from Coburg Road through to Conrose Avenue. The pedestrian walkway will be clearly delineated and protected with concrete barriers. There may be short-term closures of the pathway required for some construction activities. During any closure of the path, pedestrians will be directed to use existing sidewalks on Waegwoltic Avenue, Oxford Street, and Coburg Road.
- What will the construction hours be for this project?
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The exact hours of construction will vary. However, the contractor is required to follow the municipality’s noise bylaw. This means any construction that takes place will be within the hours of 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and on holidays.
- How much will the municipality be contributing to this project?
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The municipality’s capital budget has allocated $360,000 for the bridge rehabilitation on Coburg Road, based on preliminary estimates provided by engineers.
- How will I be informed of progress with the CN Bridges Rehabilitation Project?
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Regular project updates will be posted to this web page. Information regarding the impact on traffic, including detour routes, will be posted here. Also, you can follow @hfxgov on Twitter for ongoing updates.
Project Background
In 2019, the Canadian National Railway (CN) began rehabilitation/ repairs on three cost-shared structures within the municipality at Quinpool Road, Belmont on the Arm and Marlborough Woods. This work included:
- Rehabilitation to the arch bridge structures (responsibility of CN)
- Full replacement of the paved surface and railing at each location. The sidewalks will also be replaced (responsibility of the municipality). Note: There is insufficient room for a sidewalk to be installed at Belmont (currently there is not a sidewalk at this location).
The nature of the work requires that the three bridges be closed for the duration of the CN Bridges Rehabilitation Project.
Quinpool Road
- The work for the Quinpool Road bridge rehabilitation was completed on July 29, 2019 and the road has now reopened to traffic.
Belmont on the Arm & Marlborough Woods
- Beginning in late March, preliminary site preparation - including tree removal - was completed to accommodate repairs to both CN bridges.
- CN is making every effort to remove only the trees required to accommodate repairs to the bridges and, wherever possible, mature trees will not be removed.
- Topsoil was added to protect stumps which will encourage rapid tree growth once the bridge rehabilitation work is complete.
- CN will be working closely with the municipality’s urban forestry division to replace the removed trees with semi-mature trees.
- Access to these neighbourhoods was provided by temporary bridge structures as there is no alternative access. Construction on the temporary bridges began in mid-May and was completed in June.