Haifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by scooby074

Again.. stay the hell out of MY cash lane!

You can zip through the Macpass lanes at mach 10 if you so choose.

I dont want to be getting random bills in the mail from HD Bridge Commission. Plus I dont want them accessing my license and other information which will be required if photo based billing comes about.

What about when I drive vehicles belonging to others or they drive mine across the bridge? Then a license based bill comes at the end of the month to the vehicle RO. HDBC is just passing the bill collection onto the vehicle owner as opposed to the driver where it belongs.

Maybe my tinfoil hat is a bit tight, but so be it.

I'm surprised you use the bridge at all. Aren't you afraid of it falling down?

You realize, of course, that your license plate is being photographed in all sorts of places already?

The vehicle owner is responsible for the use of their vehicle. Full stop. No issue there.

I think you should just drive around through Bedford instead of holding everyone else up while you search for a loonie.

I still like the idea of herding all the those who insist on paying cash into a holding pen on the toll plaza and only raising the gate a few times an hour.

[scooby074]

Can you enlighten me on this :"photographed in all sorts of places already"?

Im unaware of any provincial government license photography other than perhaps the automatic weigh scales on the TCH where the license picture could be linked back to the individual.

I dont have that much issue with the photograph itself, particularly by DOT because they already have the info on me (they have my vehicle info, my personal license info, driving record etc..) as part of their mandate. I do have issues with private or municipal government having full access to the entirety of info DOT has. If photobilling comes about, than everyone from the municipal HDBC to the PRIVATE Cobequid Pass group will have access to that trove of confidential, identifying information.

[Keith P.]

Every police car captures your image when it passes.

There are cameras galore at the toll plazas already.

There are many HRM and DTIR cameras along the roads.

Cameras are in many private parking lots.

Some of those sources have access to RMV info about you, some do not.

[Keith P.]

There's a story in the Herald today about the bike lane on the MacDonald Bridge:

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/met...cdonald-bridge

Halifax city hall’s on-again, off-again attempt to correct the much-maligned bicycle lane design on the Macdonald bridge may be back on track.

A recent health-related report to regional council, submitted by Mayor Mike Savage, proposes to have the municipality “champion the development of a solution to the cycling connectivity challenges” at the Halifax end of the bridge.

The report is to be considered by council at its Tuesday session. If the lane design ever gets redone, it could happen during the bridge’s future re-decking project, it said.

That project is scheduled to begin next year.

Cyclists have for years complained about the Barrington Street entry point for bikes.

Some risk-taking users avoid Barrington by sliding their bikes under or lifting them over a safety guardrail along the busy road near the North Street side of the lane.

The Halifax approach to the bridge’s bike lane was part of a $55.3-million upgrade, completed in 1999, on the venerable suspended span.

The bicycle lane is on the north side of the bridge, separated from a pedestrian walkway.

In 2005, local bike enthusiasts at a public meeting were told changes were in the works to correct what some cyclists said was a big mistake when it was built. The municipality switched gears, though, and proposed solutions were shelved.

The problem is not the bike lane - the problem is the entire Halifax-side exit from the MacDonald. Car traffic there backs up every morning because the exits are poorly configured, and include facing the absurdity of an at-grade crosswalk immediately at the end of the bridge.

Of course the special-interest solution is focused on fixing only the bike lane and not addressing the real problem - what a shock.

The entire report is HERE and is a fine example of wooly-headed thinking that wastes plenty of public funds. That is due for discussion in another thread.

[fenwick16]

I found pictures online showing a new bridge section that has been installed on the MacDonald Bridge. The new bridge sections look quite different than the current (old) sections. There doesn't seem to be the large trusses on the top side of the new bridge sections. Without the large, topside bridge trusses, commuters might get a better view of the city once it is completed. The bridge might also have a more open feel.

(source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...ifax-1.3279933)


(source: http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax...d-closure.html)


There are pictures of a physical model on the Halifax Harbour Bridges website - http://www.hdbc.ca/model-outputs/
The physical model illustrates the new sections on the left and the current (old) sections on the right.



The company doing the work is the same company that re-decked the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, which is considered to be a sister bridge to the MacDonald Bridge. Here are comparison shots of the Lions Gate Bridge before and after.
Lions Gate Bridge before: (source: http://www.surespan.com/construction...s-gate-bridge/)


Lions Gate Bridge after: (source: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/12/1...er-winter-now/)

[connect2source]

As a Vancouver resident who witnessed the entire re-decking of the Lions Gate, you're in for a big treat in Halifax.

The bridge will feel, and to some degree, looks dramatically different when done. The trusses being moved below the deck makes the biggest difference. The new deck feels much wider, not only because of the increased lane width but also because of the claustrophobic giant trusses being gone which contributed to the 'boxed-in' feeling. The views, of course, which are awesome from the Lions Gate, greatly improved. Sadly, there's now talk of putting a suicide fence along the entire length.

The whole process went without a hitch here and it was fun driving over it as each new section was added.

In essence it will feel like a brand-new bridge when done and be a pleasure to cross!

Interesting enough there was a huge push to increase the width to accommodate 4 lanes of traffic but it was made impossible by the fact that the approach goes through Stanley Park and no one in Vancouver could stomach cutting down old trees to accommodate the new width of the Stanley Park Causeway ( the approach to the bridge ). Hence it remained narrow and the re-decking did nothing to alleviate the horrible back-ups which only get worse every year.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by connect2source

As a Vancouver resident who witnessed the entire re-decking of the Lions Gate, you're in for a big treat in Halifax.

The bridge will feel, and to some degree, looks dramatically different when done. The trusses being moved below the deck makes the biggest difference. The new deck feels much wider, not only because of the increased lane width but also because of the claustrophobic giant trusses being gone which contributed to the 'boxed-in' feeling. The views, of course, which are awesome from the Lions Gate, greatly improved. Sadly, there's now talk of putting a suicide fence along the entire length.

The whole process went without a hitch here and it was fun driving over it as each new section was added.

In essence it will feel like a brand-new bridge when done and be a pleasure to cross!

Interesting enough there was a huge push to increase the width to accommodate 4 lanes of traffic but it was made impossible by the fact that the approach goes through Stanley Park and no one in Vancouver could stomach cutting down old trees to accommodate the new width of the Stanley Park Causeway ( the approach to the bridge ). Hence it remained narrow and the re-decking did nothing to alleviate the horrible back-ups which only get worse every year.

Did drivers there cope with the bump where new sections meet up with the old by coming to a complete stop and then crawling over it? This behavior by drivers has made the bridge virtually useless.

We have the same trouble here with being unwilling to do anything to fix the backups, but for very different reasons. There is simply an unwillingness here to do what it takes to re-design the bottlenecks at either end. That is not sue to old-growth tress or anything worthy of preservation but rather simple intransigence and lack of vision.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Did drivers there cope with the bump where new sections meet up with the old by coming to a complete stop and then crawling over it? This behavior by drivers has made the bridge virtually useless.

At least buses weren't slowing the traffic down.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2677510966/

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Did drivers there cope with the bump where new sections meet up with the old by coming to a complete stop and then crawling over it? This behavior by drivers has made the bridge virtually useless.

The traffic on the Lions Gate is a crawl most hours of the day so I don't remember the bumps being too much of an issue. In Vancouver you feel like you've won the jackpot when you get two whole lanes in your direction!

Also I vaguely remember the initial bump being the worst, the first new section which connects the approach to the bridge deck, the subsequent ones may not be as bad.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Did drivers there cope with the bump where new sections meet up with the old by coming to a complete stop and then crawling over it? This behavior by drivers has made the bridge virtually useless.

Damn those drivers for not wanting to rip the bottom off their car!

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Damn those drivers for not wanting to rip the bottom off their car!

they still do it wrong. By slaming on the brakes, and crawling over the bump, they compress their suspensions, and actually take a bigger "hit" then they would if they didnt panic and rolled over the bump at tollboth speeds.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

they still do it wrong. By slaming on the brakes, and crawling over the bump, they compress their suspensions, and actually take a bigger "hit" then they would if they didnt panic and rolled over the bump at tollboth speeds.

Exactly. Cars have suspension systems for a reason - to absorb bumps. This seems to escape drivers on the bridge for some reason. The "bump" is nominal at best. No reason for it to cause the kind of behavior we have seen.

[terrynorthend]

Are they ever going to actually put another section in the bridge? It seems like they got stalled the last time they had a reopening hiccup last month, and haven't added any since. Mind you they are still closing the bridge with clockwork regularity. (which sucks as we have evening classes at the Sportsplex most nights, and live just across the bridge, up North Street) It would be nice if things were progressing somewhat.

[fenwick16]

(source: https://twitter.com/David_Hendsbee)

The last new section has been installed. What do people think of the renewed bridge? Just looking at pictures, it looks much better than before and there appears to be a better view of downtown Halifax.

[IanWatson]

I think part of me will always have a soft spot for the old trusses; there's something eminently impressive about engineering in the pre-computer age. That said, the "new" bridge does look great, and I'm in absolute awe over the process to get here. Everyone involved in that project should be proud.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

The last new section has been installed. What do people think of the renewed bridge? Just looking at pictures, it looks much better than before and there appears to be a better view of downtown Halifax.

I think it looks much more open and better in that respect. I do wonder if they will be using a more elegant approach to transitioning the hanger cables to the new deck. Right now it looks very temporary with pieces of large threaded rod and steel plates attached to the old hangers.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I think it looks much more open and better in that respect. I do wonder if they will be using a more elegant approach to transitioning the hanger cables to the new deck. Right now it looks very temporary with pieces of large threaded rod and steel plates attached to the old hangers.

It seems that there are still several months of work remaining, including replacing the suspender cables - http://globalnews.ca/news/3274082/bi...r-the-weekend/. Everything except the two main suspension cables, and towers will be replaced.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

That said, the "new" bridge does look great, and I'm in absolute awe over the process to get here. Everyone involved in that project should be proud.

Oh crap! Does this mean we need to start calling the MacKay the "old" bridge and the MacDonald the "new" bridge now?

[TheGreenBastard]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Oh crap! Does this mean we need to start calling the MacKay the "old" bridge and the MacDonald the "new" bridge now?

Mackay: old new bridge
Macdonald: new old bridge

[connect2source]

The Lions Gate and MacDonald bridges are once again twins!! I have nothing but positive things to say about the Lions Gate re-decking, it's made the experience far more pleasurable, views are greatly improved and lanes are wider, no downside, the old trusses made the crossing seem claustrophobic and lanes were dangerously narrow, as, like the MacDonald bridge, the deck was designed for 2 lanes not 3. Can't wait to drive over the 'new' MacDonald bridge next time I visit!