Drivers fume as evening curbing work backs up Hillsborough Bridge traffic
Province chose to shut busy ramp at night to avoid peak traffic
The provincial government says "curbing work" was being done on Riverside Drive Thursday night, after drivers complained of having to wait more than an hour to get across the Hillsborough Bridge into Charlottetown.
Shortly after 7 p.m., westbound traffic was backed up from the Riverside Drive ramp all the way to the Sobeys in Stratford.
Well, that was NOT fun! 70 minutes to get from Stratford to downtown Ch'town. Then sat by Wendy's 12-15 min on way back before they let us thru the intersection. Looks like traffic is cleared now.
—@DerekMacEwenA provincial spokesperson told CBC News that the ramp was closed from 6 to 9 p.m. "to allow for the installation of concrete curb," as part of the ongoing Stratford sewer connection project.
"All traffic was routed through the main intersection during this time.… The work was planned for this time of day to avoid peak traffic flows," the spokesperson wrote in an email.
The curbing work is now done, but "there will be delays sometime next week when they pave the ramp."
Erin Picco, who was among those waiting in the traffic, said commuting across the Hillsborough Bridge has become increasingly unpredictable.
"It was just like one-way traffic coming and we were just sitting there. Nobody knew what was going on," she said of Thursday night's issues.
"You can't pick a good time to go into town or do anything. Like, everything I do is in town so you kind just have to take the risk and leave early. And hopefully you don't get stuck."
The City of Charlottetown is not responsible for roadwork in the area because the bridge and Riverside Drive are considered part of the provincial road network.
The provincial spokesperson said more delays are possible in the future as work on the Active Transportation Corridor takes place on the bridge.