Damaged Highway 103 bridge could reopen to some traffic within days

Work has started to shore up the foundation and to repair the approaches to a large bridge on Nova Scotia's Highway 103 damaged in last weekend's flooding, to try to reopen the 60 metre-long span as quickly as possible.

"Absolutely, the 103 is a priority for me," Public Works Minister Kim Masland told reporters Thursday after a cabinet meeting. "Certainly a focus right now."

The abutments and end piers of the Goat Lake Bridge were "severely damaged," the minister said.

"When you look at it, it's absolutely mind-blowing to think that the water, the force of that water took out those abutments like it did," she said.

According to Masland, 10,000 vehicles a day use this main route through the South Shore and forcing everyone to detour along Highway 3 through Chester has made the secondary road "very congested." 

Locals were worried the extra traffic  and driver frustration over the long waits at intersections along Highway 3 might result in serious accidents.

Lane could soon open

Masland originally feared the bridge would have to be replaced, which would have been a major job and required the detour to remain in place for months rather than days.

"The engineers believe we can go in and support that and then fix it," said Masland. "And I would expect we'll see it possibly open to one lane within the next couple of days."

The section of Highway 103 between exits 7 and 8 has been closed since Saturday.

Public works crews have been busy since Saturday assessing damage and making repairs. Masland praised her staff and private contractors who have been working "from four in the morning until the wee hours of night."

"It's incredible what they've done," she said.

Hundreds of repairs

According to information supplied by the department, crews have repaired nearly 500 sections of damaged roads and 60 road shoulders in the province. Crews have also replaced 60 culverts. There are still about 20 provincial road closures, down from 60 on Saturday, according to a news release.

Asked what impact this unexpected work might have on capital projects slated for this summer, Masland said she is optimistic that work would go ahead, albeit weeks behind schedule.

"Certainly we're already behind a couple of weeks because of the weeks of rain that we've had already," said Masland. "It's pretty hard to lay asphalt when you have torrential downpours.

"I feel very confident in the capacity of the industry that they will be able to deliver these projects."

The other Maritime provinces have offered Nova Scotia staff and materials to help speed repairs along, but so far Nova Scotia has declined the offers by New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Masland said Public Works is considering an offer to borrow temporary bailey bridges to replace seven that were destroyed over the weekend.