More congestion in Cogswell District this week as work enters next phase

People commuting in and out of downtown Halifax should expect increased delays as work on the Cogswell District project shifts into a new phase, according to Halifax Regional Municipality.

Barrington Street will be reduced to one lane in both directions approaching Nora Bernard Street until at least Oct. 28, a municipal planner said.

"We've tried really hard to maintain two lanes in each direction as much as possible while this work is going on," said Elora Wilkinson, project manager. "This is one of our first ... squeezes." 

The reduced lanes this week will allow crews to build the leg of the roundabout connected to Barrington Street, she said. Wilkinson said the roundabout is expected to be open by late October or early November. 

"Expect delays, plan your route accordingly as we will see probably a little bit more congestion," she said. 

This is the first of several phases to reopen Barrington Street by mid-December, she said. 

Once traffic is running through the roundabout, Wilkinson said crews will move to a stretch on Upper Water Street in front of the municipality's water treatment plant before beginning more work on Barrington Street by Cogswell and Dukes streets. 

"That means we can bring transit back to their main space in front of Scotia Square," Wilkinson said. 

Late or stuck in traffic

The ongoing construction in the Cogswell District and the detoured bus routes have been a headache for some commuters.

"I'm either, like, between 10 to 15 minutes late almost every day now because of the traffic," said Michelle Falle, who takes the bus to her job on Upper Water Street from her home in north-end Halifax. 

What used to be a 10-minute commute takes up to 30 minutes now, Falle said. She said not only are buses late because of traffic congestion, but they are packed with more people. 

"A lot of people, I think, are getting as frustrated as I am," she said.

Falle said she was aware the latest work in the Cogswell District could make traffic congestion even worse, so she's going to try to leave earlier but she can't do anything about buses being late.

The municipality is three years into the four-year project that is expected to be completed by December 2025. 

"It's not been an easy four years and we really appreciate the public's patience with us as we do, you know, construction just at the level of the scale, there's always a bit of disturbance," Wilkinson said.