The redevelopment of the Cogswell Interchange in downtown Halifax, which began in March, now features temporary lanes that are rerouting traffic.
It's one of the largest building projects in Halifax's history.
“The budget for this project is $122.6 million," said Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) Cogswell Redevelopment Project Manager Donna Davis.
The aging overpass system, retaining walls and roadways are being removed and the entire area will be lowered to street grade level.
“We are probably running a couple of months behind," said Davis. "When we first got started we encountered old infrastructure underground that we did not have a good plan for.”
Traffic delays will come in waves in a multi-phase plan.
“The three phases will take us about 48 months to complete," said Davis.
Paul MacKinnon from the Downtown Halifax Business Commission said a major part of the Cogswell District strategy is to reconnect the city's north end with the downtown district.
"It will reconnect north end to the waterfront and it will knit the city back together," said MacKinnon.
New neighbourhoods will also be created.
“The HRM is growing by leaps and bounds," said Davis. "We need land for people to live and we estimate that we will have roughly 2,500 people living in this area.”
When finished, Davis said the new Cogswell district will be more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly and will also feature parks and greenspaces.
