Road work at Windsor Street Exchange will cause traffic delays in Halifax all weekend

Road work will cause traffic delays again this weekend at the busy Windsor Street Exchange in Halifax.

The section of the Bedford Highway between Windsor Street and the Joseph Howe Drive ramps will be affected from 7:30 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Monday. According to an announcement from the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), “this is to facilitate construction of a detour road that will support future phases of the Windsor Street Exchange project.”

“Two-way traffic will be maintained with lane reductions in both directions on Bedford Highway while this work is underway. Drivers should expect delays and are asked to use alternative routes where possible.”

The Windsor Street Exchange Project is an ongoing improvement to the vital intersection that connects Bedford, Dartmouth, Clayton Park, Fairview and Halifax near the dockyards on the Bedford Basin.

HRM officials announced this phase of the $180-million infrastructure upgrade in July, along with a plea to citizens to stay patient while the important work was being done. The estimated finish date for the project is late 2029.

“We can’t pretend that there won’t be lane closures, that there won’t be delays, that there won’t be frustration,” Mayor Andy Fillmore told The Chronicle Herald on July 8.

“But I just want to encourage people to remember that every day that we’re in construction, every day there is that flicker of frustration, we’re getting one day closer to a much more smooth-running, much more capacious Windsor Street Exchange that will move goods and people faster and easier, and with much less frustration.”

A Sept. 14 update from HRM said roughly 48,000 vehicles travel through the chokepoint each day.

“The project design prioritizes the most heavily travelled movements through the Windsor Street Exchange to improve overall efficiency,” the announcement read.

“This includes prioritizing travel between the Bedford Highway and the MacKay bridge to support inbound transit, port‑related goods movement and the highest volume of daily vehicle traffic, while also improving safety for people walking, rolling and cycling.”

Traffic updates for bus riders will be available on the Halifax Transit website.