Lights out on MacKay Bridge leaves commuters in the dark
The Mackay Bridge is a part of thousands of Halifax-area drivers’ daily commute to work. Roughly 60,000 vehicles make the trip across the bridge each day.
But recently, some drivers have been left in the dark.
“This is 33 out of 197 lights, so admittedly there are places where it’s been a little darker than it has been,” said Steve Proctor, communications manager with Halifax Harbour Bridges.
About six months ago, the Mackay Bridge saw two of its street lights stop working. In order to prevent lane closures, the commission left those lights off.
Then a few weeks ago, another group of lights stopped working as well. Proctor said the outage was due to old lights.
“We did some investigations and the challenge is, of course, ten years of lighting technology has changed,” said Proctor. “The lighting is no longer available, so we can’t just do a swap kind of thing.”
Commuter Bryn Davies frequently travels to Dartmouth using the Mackay Bridge for work. She said the lack of lights when driving to the bridge is a safety concern, especially for seniors.
“We have a very large elderly population here. It’s dark and [their] eyesight may be not as good,” She said “It’s a lot harder to see, especially if they’re having to cross the bridge. It’s just not comfortable to be in pitch black, up high and you can’t see anything.”
Proctor said the lights have a ten-year warranty and the bridge commission is looking for solutions.
“We’re dealing with the same supply issues as everybody else and we’re trying to resolve it as quickly as possible. Is that two weeks or a month? I don’t know,” he said.
Interchanges near the bridge like the one at Victoria Road are also seeing some changes. Halifax Harbour Bridges is adding reflective tape along the ramps.
“We had to take out the mast lighting because it was a risk that the lighting was showing signs of wear [caused by] the wind,” said Proctor.
With supply chain issues being cited as a cause for delays, Halifax Harbour Bridges will have its internal meeting on Tuesday to determine other possible alternatives, including reaching out to the city or another bridge authority.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.