Construction on Gottingen Street priority bus lane to begin Wednesday

Construction on a priority bus lane in Halifax’s downtown core is set to get underway on Wednesday.

The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) says construction on the Gottingen Street priority bus lane is set to begin on Wednesday, with construction to be focused on the area between Cogswell Street and North Street.

The HRM expects construction to take eight weeks, with crews working Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

READ MORE: Gottingen Street to have dedicated bus lanes at peak times

That means as of Wednesday there will be no parking day or night on the northbound side of Gottingen Street between Cogswell Street and North Street. Permanent no-parking signs will be installed as part of the construction.

A spokesperson with the municipality says that parking on the southbound lane of Gottingen Street will also be a challenge during construction.

“Like all road construction projects, people should expect traffic delays, however, we’re going to maintain two-way traffic at all times to keep cars moving,” said Nick Ritcey, adding that Haligonians will still have access to all of the businesses along the stretch.

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“Ensuring people can still visit businesses on Gottingen Street at all times is a priority of the project team.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Ensuring people can still visit businesses on Gottingen Street at all times is a priority of the project team."

WATCH: Emails dispute Halifax staff claims that buses can’t turn on to Macdonald Bridge

1:55 Emails dispute Halifax staff claims that buses can’t turn on to Macdonald Bridge

Once construction is completed, the stretch of Gottingen Street will have dedicated bus lanes during the peak hours of 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. 

According to a staff report, Halifax found that northbound buses are delayed an average of five to six minutes during the peak hours of afternoon travel.

The Gottingen Street Transit Priority Corridor plan was created to address the issue. The plan is to transform Gottingen Street into three lanes, one of which will be a bus lane.

The North End Business Association has previously spoken out against the plan.

“Gottingen is a 250-year-old street and most of those businesses along that side of the street have no other way to access their business.”

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At least one business, Plan B Halifax, has cited the transit corridor as a reason for their decision to close up shop.

The store announced in a Facebook post on Oct. 1 that they had closed their doors for good.