Princess Margaret Bridge open again

The Princess Margaret Bridge in Fredericton reopened Sunday afternoon after a five-week closure, making it a little easier to get from one side of the city to the other.

During the closure, the 20,000 vehicles that normally use the bridge each day were diverted to the Westmorland Street Bridge — Fredericton's only other span across the St. John River.

The newer bridge was already handling more than 50,000 vehicles a day, but the detours went smoothly.

Commuter Karen Rempel said she didn't find the Prince Margaret closure a hassle.

"I think with school out and people on vacation — maybe they geared their vacation for the bridge closure — but it's been no problem whatsoever," she said. "No lineups at all."

Commuter Lynn LaPage is glad the detour is finally over.

"Going downtown, it probably takes an extra 10, 15 minutes. … But let's say I want to get to my parents, who live all the way up in Skyline, it's a huge detour and inconvenience. Or it's a huge detour if you need to go uptown to the mall."

In March, the provincial government said it would allow some of its employees in Fredericton to adjust their work hours to ease traffic jams during morning and evening rush hours. Some civil servants were able to start and finish work earlier.

Even though the Princess Margaret is open again, repair work will continue, and officials reminded drivers to be cautious.

Things will be worse next year, when the bridge will be closed again for almost three months to complete the upgrading work.