Macdonald Bridge re-decking must quadruple in speed to meet deadline

HALIFAX – Halifax Harbour Bridges, HHB, says The Big Lift construction project needs to “pick up the pace” in order to meet its fall deadline.

The bridge commission expected eight or nine segments would be replaced at this point in the project, HHB CEO Steve Snider said. However, so far only three segments have been replaced.

“The pace that we’re experiencing to this point in time is not the pace we expect to have throughout the project,” Snider said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The pace that we're experiencing to this point in time is not the pace we expect to have throughout the project," Snider said.

Forty-six deck segments are supposed to be replaced by fall 2016. That means the pace needs to quadruple in speed from less than one segment replacement per month to almost four.

READ MORE: HHB CEO can’t promise Macdonald Bridge will always open on time

A steep learning curve and bad weather are to blame for the delays in the project so far, Snider said. However, he says he still thinks the contractor, American Bridge Canada Company, can meet the fall 2016 deadline.

“Its very doable ,” Snider said, the more segments the company installs the faster each installation will go.

Three segments are scheduled to be installed in January he said. Following that, one segment is expected to be installed each week. The segments will be replaced over the weekend until the contractor can prove it the entire replacement can happen within ten and a half hours.

“We had expected to have another 5 or 6 segments in place, that hasn’t happened,” Snider said.