Fairview overpass work underway
Preparation work progressing beneath structure
Last Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009 | 10:07 AM AT
CBC News
Two lanes of traffic on Halifax's crumbling Fairview overpass have been blocked since last month, causing traffic snarls, and there is still no visible sign of construction.
But transportation officials said Wednesday that preparation work is taking place and the project, estimated to cost $5 million, will be completed on time.
There are no construction crews on top of the overpass, but work is being done on the underside to protect data cables and the railway line that runs underneath the concrete structure, Cathy MacIsaac, a spokeswoman for the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said Wednesday.
"We have to make sure that the rail lines also aren't damaged with anything that may fall from the lanes that are being removed during demolition," she said. "So, they'll have to put in some protections and that means co-ordinating with CN so we don't have trains running."
The weather is about to worsen as temperatures are dropping and snow is forecast for Friday. But MacIsaac said the contractor will tear down the old structure and pour concrete for the new one during the winter months.
It's that construction phase that worries HRM Coun. Russell Walker, who represents the area. He thinks the traffic that currently goes under the overpass will be affected.
"When they take that road bed up, they may block that for a certain period of time to do that work and those vehicles are going to find another alternative route to take," he said.
But MacIsaac said there shouldn't be any further traffic disruptions, and the project will be completed by the end of March.
The five-lane Fairview overpass is on one of the busiest commuter routes in the province, connecting Bedford to downtown Halifax, with an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles passing over it every day.
Chunks of concrete have been falling from the structure in recent months, and it has a design similar to the Quebec overpass that collapsed in 2006, crushing five people.
The overpass is part of the Bedford Highway, taking commuters across train tracks and Joseph Howe Drive. Built in the 1950s, it used the first prestressed concrete girders in the province.
