Petitcodiac River Bridge under construction (submitted)
In less than six weeks, the causeway over the Petitcodiac River linking Moncton and Riverview will be closing.
The provincial government announced today it is moving up the closure date to April 5 instead of May as originally planned.
The Petitcodiac River Bridge which is replacing the causeway is expected to be ready to open in October.
The closure is required to realign the river channel under the new bridge, as well as to decommission the existing gate structure and construct the approaches and bridge connections.
“As work on the project is progressing well, we are starting the causeway’s six-month full closure one month earlier than planned. It will reopen to traffic in October instead of November,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jill Green.
“Given the situation surrounding COVID-19, we are taking advantage of the current low traffic flows to ensure minimal disruption. We understand the closure will have an impact and we encourage residents to start planning their alternate routes and schedules.”
The Gunningsville Bridge will be the only link across the river once the causeway closes.
“The department worked with its federal and municipal partners and stakeholders to ensure the date change did not impact related projects and initiatives,” said Green.
“Restoring the Petitcodiac River has been a common goal for many years and the new Petitcodiac Bridge will be a welcome improvement for many years to come.”
In 2018, the province partnered with the Town of Riverview on a $1.9-million project to add lanes and upgrade the intersection on the Riverview side of the Gunningsville Bridge.
The Town also built Bridgedale Boulevard, a new road connecting Gunningsville Boulevard with Runneymeade Road, which opened in December.
These upgrades were made to alleviate traffic congestion during the bridge and channel construction period.
The total cost of the project is $61.6 million with the federal government contributing $27 million.
