Westmorland bridge maintenance on hold
Planned repairs on multi-lane span in Fredericton would have seen traffic disruptions
Observant motorists in Fredericton may have noticed a smooth ride across the Westmorland Street Bridge in recent days, contrary to advisories from the provincial government about expected maintenance.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure had previously announced that maintenance work on the Westmorland Street Bridge was planned for late March and early April.
Initially, the department said crews would be working on the bridge between March 20 and 22, which was expected to slow traffic in the capital, as the bridge traffic would be reduced to one lane in each direction.
That work was postponed and rescheduled for March 26 and 27, the department reported, and it also had further maintenance work planned for April 1.
Transportation and Infrastructure posted advisories on the province’s online 511 road map tool, and ran ads on local radio stations to make capital-region residents aware of expected traffic disruptions.
But those projects vanished from 511 map last week, with no hint as to when the work would be carried out, even when searching under the “Future Construction” category.
Government spokesperson Tyler McLean told the Fredericton Independent on Wednesday that the work had been delayed again.
“The work on the Westmorland Bridge was postponed due to weather as it was weather-permitting,” he wrote in an email. “That work is being rescheduled.”
McLean didn’t indicate when the maintenance would be done.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.