Halifax road work could get worse before it gets better

Halifax commuters who have to travel through the Armdale Roundabout have faced traffic backups this summer because of construction projects in the area, but the situation could soon get worse.

A section of the St. Margarets Bay Road is closed for construction until October and the detour routes have already been heavily congested, particularly during the afternoon rush hour.

September is typically when traffic volumes are highest in the Halifax region. Universities and the public school system start classes the week after Labour Day.

Armdale resident Linda MacDonald said there is definitely more traffic coming down Herring Cove Road in the morning, but it's the commute home that's really problematic. Her husband works in Burnside and faces long waits trying to use Joseph Howe Drive to get through the roundabout.

"He's timed it and he's sat there for 25 minutes waiting to getting in," said MacDonald.

"The Armdale [Roundabout] is a mess."

MacDonald has tried taking a circular route home from downtown Halifax using Highway 102, North West Arm Drive, Cowie Hill Road and back down Herring Cove Road to try to avoid tie-ups on Chebucto and Quinpool roads and Joseph Howe Drive.

The good news is work along Connaught Avenue near Chebucto Road should be finished by the end of August.

Halifax Water also plans to wrap up the Quinpool Road section of a sewer re-lining project by Sept. 1. The 4.1-kilometre trunk line goes from the North West Arm to Point Pleasant Park.

"We're aware that traffic increases after Labour Day, so the contractor wanted to start at [Quinpool Road on] the project," said Halifax Water spokesperson James Campbell.

Calling for traffic cops

MacDonald thinks until the St. Margarets Bay Road construction project is completed, the Armdale Roundabout needs a police officer directing traffic, especially in the afternoons.

But a spokesperson for the city said Halifax police do not direct traffic unless there's an accident or a power outage.

Nick Ritcey said officials with transportation and public works have been monitoring backups along the detour route for the St. Margarets Bay Road project and have already made adjustments to traffic lights in two locations to try to improve the flow of vehicles at Joseph Howe Drive and Highway 102, and at Albert Walker and North West Arm drives.

"The team will continue to make adjustments in the fall as traffic patterns change," said Ritcey.