Halifax Mayor Proposes Action Plan to Ease Construction-Related Traffic Congestion
Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore introduced a motion at Tuesday's regional council meeting for an action plan to reduce traffic delays caused by road construction. The proposal includes exploring night and weekend work, temporary parking and bus rule changes, real-time communication tools, and the use of police or qualified personnel to direct traffic.
Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore introduced a motion at Tuesday's Halifax Regional Council meeting calling for an action plan to ease traffic congestion caused by road construction. The mayor noted that construction-related gridlock has become severe enough that a four-kilometre trip can take 45 minutes.
The proposed mitigation options include increasing construction work during nights and weekends, allowing temporary changes to parking and bus stop rules on major corridors during peak periods, and improving signage and real-time communications with residents through interactive maps and a dedicated app for construction alerts. The motion also suggests using police or other qualified personnel to direct traffic at particularly difficult spots.
Councillor Trish Purdy highlighted the severity of the problem, describing a recent incident where the Robie Street ramp closure caused gridlock extending from the MacKay bridge to Cole Harbour and Portland Street.
While councillors generally supported exploring the ideas, several concerns were raised during the discussion. Councillor Becky Kent warned that directing police to help manage construction traffic could encroach on the operational independence of the Halifax Regional Police and risk politicization.
The cost of expanding night work also drew mixed responses. Councillor Sam Austin pointed to successful night work projects on Nantucket Avenue and two other locations that generated few complaints and did not incur premium costs. However, Councillor Kathryn Morse stated that nighttime work for a major corridor in her district was estimated to cost twice as much as daytime work.
Councillor Shawn Cleary argued that the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) already implements most of the measures suggested in the mayor's motion. In response, Mayor Fillmore acknowledged that HRM does some of these things but argued the municipality is not doing enough and lacks proper coordination.