Construction work undertaken by the province on the Princess Margaret Bridge this summer means further work on Regent Street in downtown Fredericton next year.

As part of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s project, Princess Margaret, one of the two bridges connecting the north and south sides of the city, will be closed for five weeks starting in May.

Melissa Steeves, deputy director of engineering, design and construction, said the city wanted to avoid closing one section of Regent Street while the other bridge is closed during the expected traffic congestion on the Westmorland Street Bridge.

However, this means that work on the final phase of Regent will start late and will not be completed until 2025, Steeves said.

“We want to make sure that what we have in the book can be implemented in the time we have available,” she said.

The Princess Margaret Bridge is busy with commuter traffic during rush hour. (Ed Hunter/CBC)

The work on Regent Street is just one of many projects planned for what Steeves describes as a very busy construction season, which will extend through the summer and into the autumn.

Where construction work is expected this year

Regent Street will be closed between George Street and Churchill Row this season, with the remaining work up to Aberdeen Street to be completed next year.

A delayed start to the planned final phase of Regent Street this year means the rest must be completed in 2025. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Construction work on Officers’ Square on the large lawn area will continue but is expected to be completed in time for the opening on 1 July.

A major new project is being undertaken on Northumberland Street, from Queen Street to Brunswick Street. The final stage of the project will see the intersection of King and Northumberland converted into a through-station with an improved pedestrian walkway.

As the city rebuilds storm drains and ditches, Woodstock Road will also be closed from Garden Creek School to Stillwater Crescent.

Fredericton North

Riverside Drive will again see construction work to raise the road to prevent flooding, this year from Sumac Street to Corbett Avenue. This work will not begin until the Princess Margaret Bridge reopens, as Riverside Drive will be part of the diversion.

Further work is planned on Main Street, which will be closed from Hawkins Street to Seymour Street on June 18.

The city is also building a roundabout near Killarney Lake, at the corner of Brookside Drive and St. Mary’s Street, which will close Brookside north of Glennorth Street.

“It’s a high-speed intersection, and there have been a number of serious accidents here as well,” said Tyson Aubie, the city’s traffic engineer. “This accident was at the top of our list of projects we wanted to do for traffic safety reasons.”

Expect detours

Despite efforts to spread the construction work out over time, Steeves said major diversions and the associated noise, dust and traffic delays are to be expected.

Aubie said congestion on the Westmorland Street Bridge is especially a problem when the other bridge is closed.

“It’s important to understand that (the Princess Margaret) is a vital link across the river and that this will have an impact,” he said. “We’ve been working together on traffic calming plans … to try to reduce that congestion.”

Last year’s construction season drew criticism from city councillors and local businesses as the Regent Street project took longer than expected.

Steeves said a combination of rainy weather, complicated projects and unexpected infrastructure problems led to a difficult season.

The Officers’ Square project, originally scheduled for completion in fall 2023, is expected to open on July 1. (City of Fredericton)

A request from the City Council to explore ways to keep the projects on schedule prompted city staff to present a review and mitigation plan at a committee meeting last month.

The plan includes the introduction of a tendering process for major projects such as Regent Street.

This means that contractors’ offers are evaluated not only on the basis of price but also on the speed of order fulfillment.

“They put a timeline in place, they put a work plan in place, they put mitigation plans in place. So if they run into problems, how are they going to solve them?” Steeves said.

“Of course, they also put forward a price, but we first evaluate the other components of the offer. It’s not just the lowest price that wins.”