Princess Margaret Bridge open to traffic
Repaving work wraps one week ahead of schedule, earning contractor $140,000 bonus; Transportation minister attributes early completion to good weather, hard work
Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the expected timeline for the project. We regret the error.
A major resurfacing project on the Princess Margaret Bridge, expected to take five weeks to complete, wrapped after only four, as it reopened to traffic Thursday afternoon.
The key span linking the north and south sides of Fredericton, between Lower St. Mary’s and the Forest Hill area, has been closed since May 10, and the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure advised the closure would be in effect until June 13.
However, the province’s online road conditions/construction map tool showed this week that the bridge was slated to reopen Thursday - today - at 2 p.m., seven days ahead of schedule.
In a news release issued Thursday afternoon, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Richard Ames said hard work and good luck converged to allow the work to be done ahead of schedule.
“Good weather, combined with the tireless work of contractors and department employees, played a crucial role in getting the job done,” he said in the release.
The major resurfacing and waterproofing project came on the heels of a temporary job in October that reduced the bridge to one lane of traffic for a week.
Following the completion of that work, complaints arose about how bumpy the bridge surface was at the expansion joints, the teeth-like connections between sections of the bridge. That prompted the department to send repair crews out for another few days in late October, though it remained a rougher ride.
The Fredericton Independent crossed the bridge Thursday afternoon in a vehicle, and it was a much smoother crossing than it had been prior to the larger repaving job this spring.
The inability to access the Princess Margaret Bridge was expected to cause travel delays throughout Fredericton during the repaving project, as it’s a vital route for commuters around the city.
While its effects were definitely felt in terms of traffic, they weren’t as pronounced as many had thought they would be.
The early completion of the project is expected to be a windfall for the company that won the contract.
Horseshoe Hill Construction Inc. of Ontario was the lowest bidder on the tendered project at $2,758,050, almost double the department’s estimated value of $1,514,600.
But by finishing the job early, Horseshoe is contractually entitled to a bonus, according to the specifications in the original tender for the project.
The contract directed that the project was to take no more than 35 days, or six weeks. After Horseshoe won the tender, the department announced that five-week period would be from May 10 to June 13.
“In the event that the contractor has the bridge paved and open to two lanes of unrestricted traffic before the end of the 35-day period, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure shall pay the contractor a bonus of $20,000 per day that the bridge is open earlier than the 35-day period,” the tender specifications stated.
That means by completing the work eight days early, Horseshoe is entitled to an extra $140,000.
Conversely, had the work gone past the six-week term, it would have been docked $20,000 per day.
Due to the extended closure, the City of Fredericton delayed some capital construction work in the area of the bridge. Among them was a major project on Riverside Drive on the city’s northside.
With the reopening of the Princess Margaret Bridge, that work is expected to begin soon.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
Fantastic news