Latest news with #SteveProctor
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
More prohibited vehicles using Halifax bridge after tolls removed, commission says
With less concern of getting stuck, large commercial vehicle drivers might be getting more brazen about what bridge they use in Halifax. Halifax Harbour Bridges said in a social media post Wednesday that there's been an increase in the number of overweight vehicles using the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge since the toll plaza was removed. "Just because the tolls are gone doesn't mean the rules are gone," said Steve Proctor, communications manager at the bridge commission. Vehicles that weigh more than 3,200 kilograms are not allowed to cross the Macdonald Bridge. Instead, they have to use the A. Murray MacKay Bridge. Enforcement staff have been ticketing between two and four commercial vehicles a day recently, which is double the number they typically hand out, Proctor said. Ten tickets were issued to drivers of prohibited commercial vehicles for using the Macdonald last weekend when the MacKay was closed, he said. "I can't say we get every truck that goes through," said Proctor, though he added "enforcement is pretty consistent." Tickets start at $230 and become more expensive for repeat offenders. Proctor said Halifax Harbour Bridges has been working with the Nova Scotia Trucking Safety Association on awareness campaigns to make sure drivers know even though the tolls are gone from the Macdonald Bridge, they're still not allowed to cross. "It's about the safety of the bridge and the future and longevity of the bridge," he said. Toll plazas for both bridges were removed earlier this year, bringing to an end 70 years of paying to cross Halifax harbour.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Decades worth of paint to be stripped off Macdonald Bridge towers
Halifax Harbour Bridges will soon begin the process of removing seven decades of paint from the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge's two towers as part of a two-year project to safeguard its steel infrastructure. A news release Monday said the work, dubbed Project LifeSpan, will involve stripping the towers bare of accumulated paint to allow for "thorough inspections and any required repairs to ensure their structural integrity for the next 70 years." The towers will be wrapped in a protective enclosure to prevent paint chips, spray and debris from falling into the harbour or onto the bridge or nearby properties while painters and steelworkers are working, Steve Proctor, a spokesperson for Halifax Harbour Bridges, told CBC News in a telephone interview. The Dartmouth tower will be finished this year and the Halifax tower is expected to be completed in 2026. The project will require four weekend closures of the Macdonald Bridge — also known as the Old Bridge — this year for the construction and removal of a platform that will separate the work area from traffic on the bridge deck, the news release said. Upcoming weekend closures The first closure will begin Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Proctor anticipates the second closure will be in May, depending on how the first proceeds. The other two will likely be in November and December, he said. Halifax Harbour Bridges says the A. Murray MacKay Bridge will always be open when the Macdonald is closed. Proctor said other parts of the Macdonald Bridge have had paint previously stripped off, but it will be the first time for the towers since the span opened in 1955. Given the salt water conditions and years of layering paint in spot touch-ups and small repairs, "there's bound to be moisture underneath there so there definitely will be some corrosion that they're going to have to look after," Proctor said. The two-year project is valued at about $70 million, 85 people will work on it and 95 per cent of the supplies will be bought in Nova Scotia, Halifax Harbour Bridges said. Price tag includes both years, paint and repairs Proctor said the $70 million includes both years of the project, the repairs and the new paint. He said the project has been in the works for three years. Liberty Blastech, a Nova Scotia joint venture company, was selected to do the work. Halifax Harbour Bridges notes the company's partners "have extensive experience painting bridges." "Doing painting removal at 90 metres above sea level requires a certain level of skilled individual, so this company has that skill, has Nova Scotia painters working with them, Nova Scotia supplies, that kind of thing," Proctor said. Keeping eyes on the road More than 40,000 cars, small trucks and buses cross the Macdonald Bridge daily. While the work is being undertaken, Halifax Harbour Bridges is urging people to drive carefully. "Because while it will be an intriguing situation to see dozens of people climbing up the tower, you have to pay attention to your driving," Proctor said. MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
14-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Decades worth of paint to be stripped off Macdonald Bridge towers
Halifax Harbour Bridges will soon begin the process of removing seven decades of paint from the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge's two towers as part of a two-year project to safeguard its steel infrastructure. A news release Monday said the work, dubbed Project LifeSpan, will involve stripping the towers bare of accumulated paint to allow for "thorough inspections and any required repairs to ensure their structural integrity for the next 70 years." The towers will be wrapped in a protective enclosure to prevent paint chips, spray and debris from falling into the harbour or onto the bridge or nearby properties while painters and steelworkers are working, Steve Proctor, a spokesperson for Halifax Harbour Bridges, told CBC News in a telephone interview. The Dartmouth tower will be finished this year and the Halifax tower is expected to be completed in 2026. The project will require four weekend closures of the Macdonald Bridge — also known as the Old Bridge — this year for the construction and removal of a platform that will separate the work area from traffic on the bridge deck, the news release said. Upcoming weekend closures The first closure will begin Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Proctor anticipates the second closure will be in May, depending on how the first proceeds. The other two will likely be in November and December, he said. Halifax Harbour Bridges says the A. Murray MacKay Bridge will always be open when the Macdonald is closed. Proctor said other parts of the Macdonald Bridge have had paint previously stripped off, but it will be the first time for the towers since the span opened in 1955. Given the salt water conditions and years of layering paint in spot touch-ups and small repairs, "there's bound to be moisture underneath there so there definitely will be some corrosion that they're going to have to look after," Proctor said. The two-year project is valued at about $70 million, 85 people will work on it and 95 per cent of the supplies will be bought in Nova Scotia, Halifax Harbour Bridges said. Price tag includes both years, paint and repairs Proctor said the $70 million includes both years of the project, the repairs and the new paint. He said the project has been in the works for three years. Liberty Blastech, a Nova Scotia joint venture company, was selected to do the work. Halifax Harbour Bridges notes the company's partners "have extensive experience painting bridges." "Doing painting removal at 90 metres above sea level requires a certain level of skilled individual, so this company has that skill, has Nova Scotia painters working with them, Nova Scotia supplies, that kind of thing," Proctor said. Keeping eyes on the road More than 40,000 cars, small trucks and buses cross the Macdonald Bridge daily. While the work is being undertaken, Halifax Harbour Bridges is urging people to drive carefully. "Because while it will be an intriguing situation to see dozens of people climbing up the tower, you have to pay attention to your driving," Proctor said.
