Halifax Water to spend $2M on separate bridge at Quinpool rail cut

Halifax Water has to build a separate bridge to carry its pipes over the railway cut at Quinpool Road, and the cost of that work has jumped to just over $2 million.

CN and the Halifax Regional Municipalityexpect to begin work to upgrade the 100-year-oldQuinpool Road bridge in April. The existing structure includes water and sewer lines, but the pipes will not fit in the upgraded version.

"It has something to do with the concrete work and the diameter of our pipes," said James Campbell, a spokesman for Halifax Water. "So what we're proposing to do is build a pipe bridge similar to what we have on the Tower Road rail cut."

In September experts estimated that the cost of a separate pipe bridge would be close to $744,000. But in mid-November the lowest bid for the installation work came in at $1,480,000.

The revised total cost of the project is now $2.1 million. Halifax Water has applied to the Nova Scotia and Utility Review Board for approval of the increase.

Despite the jump Campbell said there are no plans to increase the water rate in 2019 or for the utility to reduce other construction projects. Halifax Water is anxious to get work started.

"We're trying to do the work over the winter so we can make the final connections in April when CN and HRM get underway," said Campbell.

The municipality and CN will also be upgrading two other bridges next year, atBelmont on the Arm and Marlborough Woods. Neither of those need a separate bridge built for water and sewer.