Halifax Transit users on Macdonald bridge to switch to shuttle

If you take the bus across the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in Halifax, get ready for a change tonight.

It's the first public impact of the Big Lift project — the massive refurbishment of the so-called "Old Bridge." The first change only affects commuters who cross the bridge by bus at night, five nights a week. 

Here's how it will roll out: 

Monday, Feb. 23

Starting Monday at 6:40 p.m., Halifax Transit commuters on routes that normally cross the Macdonald bridge will have to transfer to a shuttle. That shuttle will run between the Scotia Square terminal in Halifax and the Bridge terminal in Dartmouth.

The Macdonald bridge shuttle will take 12 minutes to get across. The shuttles will leave every 10 minutes, or every quarter hour after midnight and on Sundays.

The shuttle is in effect between 6:40 p.m. until the last run at about 1 a.m. — depending on where you get on the shuttle — Sunday to Thursday. Daytime bus service is not affected.

Cars, pedestrians and cyclists can proceed as normal across the Macdonald bridge. 

Sunday, March 1

This is when the prep for the Big Lift really begins.

At 7:00 p.m., the Macdonald bridge will close for the night as crews will start the job of reinforcing the bridge's stiffening truss.

Cyclists and pedestrians can still use the sidewalks on the sides of the bridge, but it will be closed at night to cars and buses from Sunday to Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

For evening bus riders, this means a long detour.

The MacKay bridge shuttle still boards at the Scotia Square terminal in Halifax and the Bridge Terminal in Dartmouth, starting at 6:40 p.m. But, it takes 35 minutes to make the trip across the harbour via the MacKay.

This shuttle also departs every 10 minutes, or every 15 minutes after midnight and on Sundays.

The Macdonald bridge will remain open to all traffic by day, so daytime bus service is once again unaffected. 

Late June 2015

The pedestrian and cyclist paths will be removed from the sides of the Macdonald bridge. Walkers and cyclists will have to take shuttles to make the crossing.

Hopeful details

Depending on the construction schedule, the Macdonald bridge may be able to open sporadically to motorized traffic during the overnight blackout periods. Tiffany Chase, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said there's no way to predict when this will happen.

Halifax Harbour Bridges and Halifax Transit will put notifications out online and via social media. But, it means evening commuters will sometimes show up expecting a 35-minute MacKay bridge shuttle ride, but get a surprise 12-minute jaunt across the Macdonald bridge. 

Both bridge shuttles will pick up passengers northbound on Gottingen Street in Halifax. And the MacKay shuttle will also drop off passengers in both directions between the Dartmouth terminal and the MacKay bridge.

Affected bus routes

Here's a list of bus routes affected. For more information, head to Halifax Transit: 

• Route 1 Spring Garden
• Route 10 Dalhousie
• Route 14 Leiblin Park
• Route 41 Dartmouth/Dalhousie
• Route 52 Crosstown
• Route 61 Auburn/North Preston
• Route 159 Portland Hills MetroLink
• Route 320 Fall River/Airport MetroX