Decades worth of paint to be stripped off Macdonald Bridge towers
A news release Monday said the work, dubbed Project LifeSpan, will involve stripping the towers bare of accumulated paint to allow for "thorough inspections and any required repairs to ensure their structural integrity for the next 70 years."
The towers will be wrapped in a protective enclosure to prevent paint chips, spray and debris from falling into the harbour or onto the bridge or nearby properties while painters and steelworkers are working, Steve Proctor, a spokesperson for Halifax Harbour Bridges, told CBC News in a telephone interview.
The Dartmouth tower will be finished this year and the Halifax tower is expected to be completed in 2026.
The project will require four weekend closures of the Macdonald Bridge — also known as the Old Bridge — this year for the construction and removal of a platform that will separate the work area from traffic on the bridge deck, the news release said.
Upcoming weekend closures
The first closure will begin Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Proctor anticipates the second closure will be in May, depending on how the first proceeds. The other two will likely be in November and December, he said.
Halifax Harbour Bridges says the A. Murray MacKay Bridge will always be open when the Macdonald is closed.
Proctor said other parts of the Macdonald Bridge have had paint previously stripped off, but it will be the first time for the towers since the span opened in 1955.
Given the salt water conditions and years of layering paint in spot touch-ups and small repairs, "there's bound to be moisture underneath there so there definitely will be some corrosion that they're going to have to look after," Proctor said.
The two-year project is valued at about $70 million, 85 people will work on it and 95 per cent of the supplies will be bought in Nova Scotia, Halifax Harbour Bridges said.
Price tag includes both years, paint and repairs
Proctor said the $70 million includes both years of the project, the repairs and the new paint.
He said the project has been in the works for three years.
Liberty Blastech, a Nova Scotia joint venture company, was selected to do the work. Halifax Harbour Bridges notes the company's partners "have extensive experience painting bridges."
"Doing painting removal at 90 metres above sea level requires a certain level of skilled individual, so this company has that skill, has Nova Scotia painters working with them, Nova Scotia supplies, that kind of thing," Proctor said.
Keeping eyes on the road
More than 40,000 cars, small trucks and buses cross the Macdonald Bridge daily.
While the work is being undertaken, Halifax Harbour Bridges is urging people to drive carefully.
"Because while it will be an intriguing situation to see dozens of people climbing up the tower, you have to pay attention to your driving," Proctor said.
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