Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission
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The Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission is a Nova Scotia provincial agency responsible for operating, maintaining, and constructing bridges over the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. They also have authority over any bridges over the Northwest Arm, although no such bridge currently exists.
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[edit] Bridges
[edit] Angus L. Macdonald Bridge
The Angus L. Macdonald bridge, known locally as the Macdonald bridge or the "old bridge", was opened on April 2, 1955. The bridge was designed by Phillip Pratley, a bridge designer also responsible for the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. The Macdonald bridge often suffers from traffic problems due to its narrow width, and a lane addition project was completed in the late 1990s.
[edit] A. Murray MacKay Bridge
The A. Murray MacKay Bridge, also known as the MacKay bridge or the "new bridge", was opened on July 10, 1970. It is located to the north of the Macdonald bridge, at the Narrows of Halifax Harbour. The bridge is part of the Circumferential Highway.
[edit] A new bridge?
The subject of a third harbour bridge has come up several times in the past few decades, in several different locations. Traffic engineers in the 1950s originally envisioned a third bridge connecting downtown Halifax to the southern terminus of Nova Scotia provincial highway 111, and this idea is still being considered today to help to alleviate traffic on the Macdonald bridge.
The Northwest Arm has also been considered as a potential site for a new bridge as early as the 1950s. There is some opposition to this in the wealthier South End, which would be affected by increased traffic.
In July 2006 the commission has already held initial talks with officials of the Halifax Regional Municipality to construct a third bridge or tunnel across Halifax Harbour and expects a formal planning process to begin early in 2007.[1]
[edit] MACPASS
The Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission charges a toll for vehicles to cross both bridges for different classes of vehicles. The commission in 1998 introduced an electronic means of payment called "MACPASS" using an electronic transponder. On July 25, 2006 they announced that they are phasing out the use of tokens (pending the approval of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board) in order to encourage increased usage of the transponder system. Almost 55% of tolls are currently paid with using MACPASS. The toll when using a MACPASS is currently 60cents, 15cents cheaper than when paying with cash.
