Fredericton bridge delays begin

Fredericton drivers will begin experiencing traffic delays this week as work on the Westmorland Street Bridge begins in preparation for the closure of the Princess Margaret Bridge in May.

Repairs to the Westmorland Street Bridge are necessary since many of the 20,000 vehicles that travel the Princess Margaret Bridge are expected to take the alternate route across the Saint John River.

The Princess Margaret Bridge will close May 9 for more than three months.

Transportation committee chair, Bruce Grandy, said even though much of the work will be done late into the night, drivers should expect traffic headaches during the day as well.

"There are going to be delays, there's no question," Grandy said. "There are going to be times when the contractor needs to work during the daylight hours and rush times at certain points and there's going to be delays and people need to get used to that."

Grandy said the noise bylaw has been amended to allow construction crews to work at night.

"They're going to have work after hours, like at nighttime, weekends. They could work right around the clock through the early morning hours. And of course if that happens, there's a lot of noise with paving equipment and trucks coming and going," Grandy said.

Last summer the Princess Margaret Bridge was closed for five weeks.