The Quinpool countdown is on.
Starting Monday morning, the CN bridge on Halifax’s busy Quinpool Road will be closed for repairs.
It's sure to cause traffic back-ups and delays for commuters and possibly, emergency responders since Quinpool is the most direct eastbound route to the biggest hospital.
On Monday, when the bridge closes for repairs, there are big-time concerns it will cause a spring and summer season of traffic chaos.
“It's gonna be a real mess,” said resident Dave Alward. The 74-year-old Alward has lived in this neighborhood for 30 years.
“Emergency vehicles used to park down by the rotary and they'd come up Chebucto,” Alward said.
He fears if anyone needs to call 911 the increased traffic could lead to longer wait times during an emergency.
“It will be a concern,” Alward said. “If there is an emergency, they could be tied up not a matter of five or 10 minutes, it could be tied up for a half hour or so.”
Halifax Regional Coun. Shawn Cleary says emergency responders have mapped out short cuts.
“They're ok with getting to those places,” Cleary said. “All of that has been accounted for. What they do is go back and they look at their routes, how they approach any areas, and they put that into their data base and their models.”
Earlier Thursday, the Nova Scotia Health Authority sent out a tweet advising people to allow for more time when visiting the hospital.
Then there's the potential negative impact on businesses.
“We're hoping that our customers will continue to come out and support us,” said Karla Nicholson Executive Director at Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association. She points out that most of these shops are located up the road from the CN bridge, removed from the traffic snarl.
“We've actually been working with the city and the messaging to make sure that it's very clear that Quinpool Road is open for business.”
The repairs are expected to be completed by mid-August.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Paul Hollingsworth.
