'It's getting worse': Commuters sound off on lengthy delays to cross Hillsborough Bridge

Frustrated commuters sat idle for much longer than usual on the Hillsborough Bridge Tuesdayas ongoing construction projects in the area snarled traffic heading into Charlottetown.

Drivers approachingthe city from Stratford and eastern P.E.I. told CBCNews their normally short drive across the bridge stretched upwards of an hour due to disruptions caused by ongoing Grafton Street construction projects.

"Just basically a huge waste of time," is how Emma Fugatedescribed it.

She owns E Accounting Servicesin downtown Charlottetown.Some members of her staff live east of P.E.I.'s capital city and drive into the office "pretty much every day."

When those employees experience long delays getting into the office, Fugate said it costs her business in terms oflost time and wages.

"I think it's going to be a huge frustration for people and a continuing loss for efficiencies and productivity for the business community in Charlottetown," she said.

For months, road crews have beenreshaping the bridge entrance to the city as part of the Eastern Gateway masterplan.The new intersection at Water and Grafton streets reopened Saturday, though some work remains and Tuesday was the first big test for it, after the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Water Street now connects to Grafton east of Joe Ghiz Park, instead of at the intersection by the western end of Hillsborough Bridge. The old section of road from Water Street to the bridge is now closed to traffic.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Grafton Street, the province is working on a $2.6-million construction project that is not expected to be done until mid-November.

That project includes widening the road by the right-turn ramp from the Hillsborough Bridge onto Riverside Drive and constructing a through lane from the bridge to Grafton Street.

Commute stretches up to 2 hours

At about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Fugate said she received a call from a staff member who had decided to start herworkday from the Tim Hortons in Stratford instead of continuing to wait in traffic to get into Charlottetown.

It had taken the woman half an hour to get from her Mason Road home to the Sobeys in Stratford, a distance of about one kilometre.

Tuesday morning brings the blues for eastern P.E.I. drivers trying to reach downtown Charlottetown

7 days ago

Duration 2:22

Many people were late to work and school on Tuesday as traffic heading into Charlottetown lined up well into Stratford. CBC's Tony Davis spoke to people about the traffic problem, and what's being done to make the situation easier on drivers.

"She'd basically just given up," Fugate said.

For those coming from even further afield, the commute could last a couple of hours.

Jason MacGregor's70-kilometre commute into Charlottetown from Annandale normally takes about 45 minutes.

On Tuesday, that ballooned to about two hours, including one hour spent getting fromthe Sobeys in Stratford toRiverside Drive in Charlottetown, a distance of about three kilometres.

Months of construction near the bridgehas madethis daily drive "a bit of a gamble," he said. And he sees no grounds for optimism about that gamble.

"Commuters have been patient and now, it's not getting better. It's not even keeping the status quo. It's getting worse.

"It seems avoidable, maybe with a bit of forward planning on the part of the city and the province," MacGregor added. "It's frustrating,to say the least."

Town of Stratford requests 'alternative solution'

In an email statement, the City of Charlottetown said the delays were likely due to "an influx of traffic during the peak commuting hours." A city spokesperson said delays will likely continueuntil all the work is completed.

The decision to close down Water Street before all infrastructure was installed on both projects led to these delays, which residents of Stratford and eastern P.E.I. should not have to endure.Steve Gallant, deputy mayor of Stratford

The province's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said in an email that its engineers had already been in touch with the city to discuss "potential options" for improving traffic flow in the area.

Across the water, the Town of Stratford saidit contacted the City of Charlottetown and the province about the two construction projects.

"The decision to close down Water Street before all infrastructure was installed on both projects led to these delays, which residents of Stratford and eastern P.E.I. should not have to endure," said the email, attributed to Deputy Mayor Steve Gallant.

"We have requested they come up with an alternative solution in a timely manner."