NS crews busy with $220-million in bridge repairs this summer

WATCH: Summer time is also prime construction season in Nova Scotia. Crews are already out in full force, working to get up to date on highway repairs. As Global’s Natasha Pace reports, they’re also focusing their attention on much needed bridge repairs.

HALIFAX – You don’t have to travel very far to see major infrastructure construction taking place in Nova Scotia, specifically when it comes to bridge repairs. The Partridge River Bridge on Highway 107 near Lake Echo, N.S., is just one of dozens of bridges that will be repaired or replaced over the next few years.

“We’re busy all year, summer time especially because that’s when the majority of your work starts getting done,” said Will Crocker, Bridge Maintenance Engineer with the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

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A total of $220,000,000 in highway funding has been set aside for the 2015-2016 year. A large portion of that budget is marked for bridge construction and replacement.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal said each bridge in the province is unique and can require different repairs. One thing that officials closely monitor is the surface rust and structural damage.

“It can be cracking. It can be rusting of steel members, it can be deterioration of timber, sometimes potholes on bridge decks. Its all related to the bridge,” Crocker told Global News.

“We’re busy getting structural designs done. We’re already getting designs done for next year and the year after just so that we’re ahead of the game hopefully, so we can get projects tendered and awarded early in the season to allow construction to complete during the best weather,” said Crocker.

The province has been investing a lot of money in bridge repairs over the last few years. There are 4,100 bridges in Nova Scotia, many of them are included in the government’s 5-year Highway Improvement Plan. So, while crews are busy working on projects this year, plans are already in the works for the near future.