The first deck section of the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in Halifax has been lifted from the welding yard onto a barge.
Connections were checked and rechecked to test putting the heavy metal on the crane.
“They have a little bit of time to attach things, so we're pre-attaching most of the parts like the railings and the catwalks, and all the sundry parts that need to be attached," said general manager Stephen Ross.
One hundred and thirty tons of steel decking suspended by thin cables has to be moved.
The temporary deck will allow people to continue to drive across the bridge while the work is being done. The Big Lift aims to extend the life of the bridge, and make way for larger ships beneath it.
It was hoped the first deck would go in place in early September. But now, it is intended to be lifted into place over the weekend.
Ross says there were challenges along the way.
“It's only the second time a process like this has been done,” he said. “There were some technical issues, but they've been overcome."
While it took since January to build the first section, an assembly line was set up to reduce the time to build the rest of the 46 segments to take about eight hours each.
"The bridge would close on Friday night, and it will be closed until Monday morning,” said Alison MacDonald of Halifax Harbour Bridges. “During that time is when the first deck segment will be replaced."
But it’s possible for the installation to be delayed.
“Everything is dependent on the weather,” said MacDonald. “If the weather doesn't cooperate with us, we won't be able to do the lift."
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
