Halifax bridges to close some weekends as toll booths removed

Both Macdonald and MacKay bridges in Halifax will be closed on weekends as crews remove the toll booths.

Halifax’s two bridges will soon be closed some weekends as the toll booths are removed.

The tolls will be lifted for the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and A. Murray MacKay Bridge by April 1 as the province takes over the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission.

Premier Tim Houston promised to eliminate the tolls during last fall’s election campaign and included it in the 2025-26 budget.

The Macdonald Bridge will be the first to close after the evening commute on March 14.

Work will then shift to the MacKay Bridge, but both bridges won’t close at the same time.

The bridge commission says crews will remove the toll booths, wiring and concrete.

“Even when we don’t have full bridge closures, you may see equipment and workers on the bridge. We’re going to have extra bridge patrol on to be on the lockout for speeders,” says Kelly Shiers, a communications advisor for Halifax Harbour Bridges.

Most of the work is expected to be done over two weekends, though it could take longer.

The province’s 2025-2026 budget estimates roughly $36 million in revenue will be lost due to the removal of the tolls.

It has set aside $86 million in the public works budget for bridge maintenance and another $15 million for operating costs.

Halifax Harbour Bridges says more than 33 million vehicles cross the bridges annually.

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