As overpass construction across the Trans-Canada Highway at the Admirals-McKenzie intersection reaches the halfway point -- the Ministry of Transportation confirms several unforeseen factors will delay completion by 6 months.
The project started in 2016, and was originally supposed to be finished at the end of 2018. Then it was pushed back to the end of 2019, and now officials are moving the date again, to the summer of next year.
Janelle Staite -- Regional Deputy Director with the Ministry of Transportation -- says several things are to blame for the delay, including a heavy snowfall in February which buried the worksite for several weeks. As well, the work scheduled was altered to cut down on traffic and construction noise which impacted the timeline.
And crews got a surprise when they went to work on the centre pier for the main bridge structure:
" But when we actually went to drill the piles for the centre pier we encountered rock much earlier than we anticipated, and it was very variable. So with that variability, it meant we had to send our engineers back to the drawing board to take a look at the rock horizon and figure out how we could redesign and reconstruct it so we could still put that pier in the same spot. "
Staite says that work will likely boost the price of the $85-million project, but it's not know yet by how much.
Plans are to remove the traffic lights on the highway by the end of this year which will allow traffic to flow through the intersection without stopping.
As for the partial cloverleaf loop ramp, landscaping and transit features, those are now expected to be completed in summer 2020.
Once complete, the ministry estimates the changes will shave 20 minutes off the Westshore to downtown commute.
Nearby resident Evangeline McIntyre was dismayed to hear of another delay in completion, describing the long construction period as a "gong show." She says it's been difficult, and the neighborhood will have much reason to celebrate when the project finally wraps up.
The transportation ministry has apologized for any inconvenience the delay will cause, and pledges to continue to work closely with the contractor to deliver the project as soon as possible.