Upcoming Halifax road closures for Cogswell project means detours, transit delays
Closures will comes in two phases, lasting until December 2024
Upcoming road closures for the Cogswell District project in Halifax means drivers will have to find other routes for the next year, and bus trips in the area will take longer.
According to a Halifax news release issued on Wednesday, the first phase begins Oct. 18, when Cogswell Street from Brunswick to Barrington streets will close until June 2024. Residents may detour via Brunswick, Duke or Cornwallis streets during this time.
The municipality said 24 bus routes will have to be adjusted for this change, and a September staff report said these detours will result in "an estimated six additional minutes of travel time for buses serving the area."
Donna Davis, the Cogswell District project manager, recently told reporters that over the next few months the existing Cogswell ramp will be demolished and a new section of Cogswell Street will be built at ground level.
This new section will be incorporated into a detour road that will open for the second phase next June, and will connect to Barrington Street northbound.
In June, Barrington Street from the former Cogswell intersection to Duke Street will be closed until December 2024. During that time residents can detour via Nora Bernard (formerly Cornwallis) or Upper Water streets.
The detours for buses in the area will continue through this second phase, meaning that six-minute delay will last until both phases are complete by December 2024.
During the Barrington Street closure next summer and fall, the Halifax Transit stops near Scotia Square will be temporarily moved to three nearby streets, but their exact locations have not been released yet.
Crews will be building a new Barrington Street transit terminal during this closure, which Davis has said will include larger, heated bus shelters and landscaping.
"By implementing these closures, the municipality is able to avoid a series of rolling road closures, lane drops and other disruptive activities," the city's news release said.
These closures mean the new Barrington transit terminal has been finished a year ahead of schedule, and will allow for a "more consistent and predictable road network while work progresses in the Cogswell District," the release said.
The Cogswell District project has a budget of $122 million and is scheduled to be completed in 2025. After that, parcels of land will be developed.
The end goal is to create a new 6.5-hectare neighbourhood where a maze of traffic ramps has stood for decades, better connecting downtown with the city's north end and waterfront.
The redevelopment will add an estimated 2,500 residents to the area, and affordable housing has been discussed as part of that housing mix since it was approved in 2019.
