Macdonald Bridge bump causes problems for bus drivers, commuters

A large bump on the Macdonald Bridge is causing traffic problems for bus drivers and commuters, after the first stage of the Big Lift project last weekend.

The bump is a plate covering the area where the new deck segment of the bridge meets the old deck segment. 

On Thursday morning, paramedics were called when a bus passenger complained of an injury after an articulated bus went over the bump, said Tiffany Chase, speaking for the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Chase said the passenger refused medical assistance.

She said they're instructing their drivers to take extra precautions.

"We are reminding all of bus operators to be aware that it's there and to slow down appropriately as they approach it. It can affect different buses in different ways," Chase said. 

While some commuters have the option to avoid the Macdonald Bridge, Halifax Transit bus drivers and passengers do not have that option due to scheduled routes, said Shane O'Leary, the vice-president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508.

O'Leary said drivers have been telling him it is about a one-foot drop at that section. 

"My understanding is traffic has to slow down almost to a stop to navigate this safely," said O'Leary. "You couldn't hit it at any speed whatsoever, because if you hit it, it would be like hitting a massive pothole."

O'Leary said that's hard on drivers who must traverse the span every day, particularly because driving a bus is already stressful on the lower back.

"Your shoulders and your neck are always in motion, steering and turning your head," he said.

"That also makes you more susceptible to discomfort and pain in any jarring situation."

'Serious potential for something to happen'

O'Leary said it's possible the bump could cause problems for passengers as well. 

"A serious change in the condition of the roads that somebody may be unprepared for — say a passenger standing and not holding on, or a passenger just not paying attention and unexpectedly you take a one foot vertical drop in a vehicle — it's serious potential for something to happen," he said.

O'Leary said he also feels the bump will likely cause some wear and tear on the buses. 

'Productivity lost' in traffic jams

Francis Fares, the developer behind the Kings Wharf project in Dartmouth, said he's frustrated with the bump after becoming stuck in a traffic jam well after rush hour on Wednesday.

Fares said he called Halifax Harbour Bridges and doesn't feel the problem is being taken seriously. 

"I don't think anybody is aware of the amount of productivity lost when there's all this time spent in a traffic jam," he said.

"It's been miserable since those bumps were created.

"People will understand, people are trying to go around rush hour — stay later or come early, to minimize the impact. So everybody is doing their part. But I think when they don't address a very critical issue that probably in my world would be remedied in a simple manner, it's really not acceptable."

Next stage of project this weekend

Allison Currie, the spokesperson for Halifax Harbour Bridges, asked drivers to slow down and treat the span as a construction zone. She said the next stage of the Big Lift will move ahead this weekend, but it won't create another bump. 

"There will be another plate but it'll be moved further away, so it won't add a third bump," she said.

Currie said there will be a bump on the bridge throughout the duration of the project.  

The Big Lift is a $150-million project that will see 46 deck sections on the bridge replaced. Each old section will be removed and then a new piece lifted in to replace it.