Long lines, commute times have renewed third bridge discussion in Fredericton

The wheels are turning on an old conversation that’s gotten new life in recent weeks in the city of Fredericton.

The city is conducting a survey asking residents if they believe a third bridge is needed and, if so, where it should be built.

It’s not a new discussion, but one that’s been thrust into the spotlight as the Westmorland Street and Princess Margaret bridges have both seen long lines and commute times.

Several collisions, construction on the Princess Margaret, and the week-long closure of the Approach Channel Bridge, across the Mactaquac Dam, has exasperated some commuters.

“It's added at least a 40-minute wait on my commute to just bringing the kids to school and so it's I think this is something people are talking about in the city,” said resident Ren Beau.

The Westmorland Street Bridge is the busiest route in the province, according to Fredericton traffic engineer Tyson Aubie. It sees more than 52,000 vehicles travel over it every day. Roughly 21,500 vehicles depend on the Princess Margaret Bridge to cross the river.

This graphic shows the Westmorland Street and Princess Margaret bridges in Fredericton. (Daryll Cowper/CTV News Atlantic)And while about half of the city’s population lives on the north side of the river, Aubie believes most work on the south side.

“Based on traffic patterns, there's a major flux of vehicles from north side to south side in the morning and south side to north side in the evening,” he said. “We're a very commuting-heavy city, although we may not have the population Moncton has, we have more traffic that crosses the river than most of the other cities.”

The population is growing by about 1,000 people a year.

According to Fredericton’s 2022 annual report, there are about 71,000 people living within city limits. That’s expected to reach 92,000 by 2041.

Heavy bridge traffic in Fredericton is pictured. (Laura Brown/CTV Atlantic)

More people means more traffic, which is why the city is putting together an extensive transportation study, looking at every single road and street, trying to figure out where people are coming from, where they’re going, and what future travel trends could look like.

Aubie says the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is a funding partner on this work. Part of that study has included a phone survey of residents to see what they think about a third bridge.

“We want to put it in the right place,” he said. “A third bridge in the wrong place isn't going to help anyone.”

Aubie says the aim is to have recommendations on the concept of a third bridge released by fall or winter of 2023.

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