Saint John’s Harbour Bridge opens to full capacity as repairs halt

Work at the Harbour Bridge in Saint John is done for the winter as crews put in the final touches this weekend.

The $26.4 million repair project began in June of 2021 and is expected to work through 2026, with phase two ongoing.

The bridge was supposed to open on Friday morning to full traffic, but according to the province, they could not complete work due to weather conditions.

Temporary marking and removal of several concrete barriers were done on Friday afternoon, and preparations for the bridge re-opening were set throughout the week, with some drivers reporting long lines of traffic.

Saint John councillor David Hickey said in a Tweet “It’s never taken me 1.5hrs to get from one side of my ward to the other. Unacceptable.”

According to the province, they still have two more phases, with phase three expected to begin in 2023. They said existing asphalt would need to be removed so they could replace bearings and joints on the 54-year-old bridge.

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New Brunswick Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jill Green told Global news in February that an estimated 37,000 motorists drive on the bridge daily.

Work is expected to resume in “early April,” when crews will again divide the road into single-lane traffic in both directions.