Final planned closure of the MacKay Bridge this weekend

The A. Murray MacKay Bridgewill be closed again this weekend for its final planned maintenance and inspection of the summer.

The closure begins Friday at 7 p.m. and ends Monday at 5:30 a.m.

Work over the weekend will include concrete drilling, steel repairs and inspections on the approaches as well as significant resurfacing along the main bridge section, Halifax Harbour Bridges said in a news release.

This work cannot be done with traffic on the bridge.

Halifax Harbour Bridges said most of the work done during the first three closures over the summer was evident to regular commuters "through a smoother ride, but these multiple projects are about much more than resurfacing."

"The maintenance we are doing above and below the deck and on the approaches is about safety and about extending the life of the bridge," Halifax Harbour Bridges CEO Tony Wrightsaid in the release.

Closure coincides with Pride events

"This is work that is planned months in advance and involves skilled workers from outside the region."

Halifax Harbour Bridges said while it can complete many projects overnight or with single-lane closures, bigger projects like the one happening this weekend "require continuous around-the-clock efforts to complete."

The bridge commissionacknowledged the closure is happening at the same time as Pride events and urged drivers to plan their travel in advance or use public transit.

"HHB tries to avoid major events when scheduling closures," the release said. "But given Nova Scotia's short construction season, the string of rainy weekends so far this year, and the need to avoid scheduling a MacKay closure at the same time as the upcoming Macdonald Bridge closures, [we] must get the work done when the weather allows."

Two planned closures on the MacKay Bridge this summer were postponed because of the weather.

Upcoming MacDonald Bridge closures

The Angus L. Macdonald Bridge will be open as usual, but traffic is expected to be heavier than normal.

The upcoming closures on the Macdonald Bridge are:

• Sunday, Aug. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for MacPass Miles road races and Bridgewalk 2024.
• Monday, Aug. 5, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon for the Natal Day Parade.
• Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. to Monday, Aug. 19, at 5:30 a.m. for maintenance.