Macdonald Bridge fibre optic cable must be moved for Big Lift

The Macdonald Bridge closure may be a slight nuisance for drivers, but it will cripple Halifax's municipal communication network unless a backup plan is approved.

Many of the municipal buildings in downtown Halifax and Dartmouth are connected via a dedicated network of fibre optic cables. These cables give staff quick access to email, databases, land registry information, emergency dispatch and phone service.

Information zips back and forth between servers, completely uninterrupted. But those fibre optic cables are strapped to the underside of the Macdonald Bridge — a link that is set to be replaced this summer in a project called the Big Lift.

On Tuesday, Halifax regional council will vote on a plan to relocate the cable.

A report to council recommends spending $215,585 on a network expansion that would route the cable up to the north end, across the MacKay Bridge and back to downtown Dartmouth.

The work would be a sole-sourced contract signed with Internetworking Atlantic Inc, the company that built and maintains the current network.

Staff say council could alternatively put the work out to tender, however the market price of that contract would likely be more than double the price of the sole-sourced contract.

If council does choose to route its high-speed network across the MacKay Bridge, it will be joining a group of companies already making the move.

Telus, Bell-Aliant and Eastlink are all in the process of moving their infrastructure off the Macdonald Bridge and over to the MacKay Bridge.