Halifax roads gridlocked amid holiday events, bridge closure

Some Halifax drivers found themselves stuck in traffic for hours Saturday as large events drew crowds into the downtown core, and the MacKay Bridge was closed for repairs.

Lorraine Simmons-Yerian said she was in bumper-to-bumper traffic for two kilometres leading up to the Macdonald Bridge.

"I'm shaking my head here because I've spent three hours in my car to get to a place that should have taken 40 minutes," she said Saturday afternoon.

"Shame on the municipality for making these decisions," she said of the bridge closure being scheduled for the same day as the annual Parade of Lights.

In an email, Halifax Regional Police said there were no major car accidents Saturday contributing to the gridlock.

"It seems the closure of the MacKay bridge is the contributable cause to increased traffic congestion in the city's core areas," police said.

The bridge closed Friday at 7 p.m. and it is scheduled to remain closed until Monday at 5:30 a.m.

The same schedule is expected next weekend, too.

Halifax Regional Municipality issued an advisory Friday warning that "significant crowds and traffic delays" on Saturday were likely because of the parade. The advisory urged people to consider public transit. 

There was also a Sam Roberts concert scheduled at the Scotiabank Centre, a Jenn Grant concert scheduled at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony scheduled at the Light House Arts Centre, all for Saturday night.

Together those events could draw several thousand people downtown, in addition to those lining the streets to watch the parade.