Long-discussed 3rd bridge for Fredericton area is not a priority

In 2019, a Fredericton city councillor said a third crossing over the St. John River would be required by 2029, but he's changed his tune.

"A third bridge, back a few years ago when we talked about it, might have been a possibility … but when you look at the inflationary values today, I'm not sure that that's something that the province would want to take on," Coun. Bruce Grandy said in a recent interview.

Grandy, who also chairs the city's mobility committee, now says there are other things that need to be considered before a third crossing, despite the capital city's growing population.

For about half a century, the north and south sides of the  St. John River at Fredericton were connected by the Carleton Street Bridge. The Princess Margaret Bridge opened in the late 1950s, and the Westmorland Street Bridge in the early 1980s, as a replacement for the one at Carleton Street. 

But traffic over the two bridges has been increasing, causing longer daily commutes and bringing motorists to a standstill when an accident occurs.

In 2019, the Westmorland Street Bridge saw about 52,000 vehicles a day, and the Princess Margaret Bridge about 21,500. A City of Fredericton spokesperson said in an email that a transportation study by the city will update these counts.

"The need and location of a third bridge will be a key outcome from the Transportation Study," said the statement, which the city said could be attributed to Tyson Aubie, the city's traffic engineer.

WATCH | The CBC's Hannah Rudderham explains why a third bridge may not be coming in the near future: 

How the prospect of a 3rd bridge for a growing city has faded

1 year ago

Duration 3:42

In more ways than one, Fredericton residents have been waiting when it comes to getting across the St. John River — waiting in traffic on the bridge, and waiting for an announcement of a third bridge for commuters. But is one likely?

According to the city's annual report, on July 1, 2022, Fredericton's population was 66,879 — up 1,982 from the previous year. The report said this is twice the annual population growth projected in the city's growth strategy.

With higher than expected growth, Grandy said, major changes to traffic flow are needed before a third bridge would be the answer, even before the 2029 deadline he originally put on the table.

He expects a lot of growth to take place in the Brookside Drive area on Fredericton's north side.

Grandy said the city needs to work with the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to understand traffic flow and where people are choosing to work and live as well as to come up with solutions to frequent traffic jams.

In an emailed statement, the Department of Transportation said the city is updating its transportation master plan with assistance from the province, but questions about city priorities should be directed to the city.

The city's statement said that as the majority of bridges in the province, including the Westmorland Street Bridge, are provincially owned, any specific questions related to them should be directed to the province. 

Grandy said a solution to the problem could include a roundabout on the north side, at the end of the Princess Margaret Bridge. He also thinks that better planning could help alleviate some grievances, so that major construction projects aren't all happening at the same time.

While he can't speak for the department, Grandy said, he also thinks one possibility could be investigating the feasibility  of widening the Westmorland Street Bridge.

The statement from the city said its engineers would "consider current and projected traffic patterns to guide important infrastructure improvements such as the installations of traffic signals, roundabouts and more."

David Ross, a Fredericton resident, said he commutes every day around 8 or 8:30 a.m., and it can often take him up to an hour to get to work.

He said it's likely that construction contributes to the delays, but he still sees a single solution to the problem.

"I think the third bridge is probably the only solution," he said, adding that other than that, some amendments to the bridges to make for smoother and more accessible merges and for roundabouts could also improve the situation. 

Whatever the solution may be, Grandy said it's important to recognize that residents are concerned and something needs to be done.

And he still isn't discounting that third bridge.

"I think there's other alternatives we can do in the interim … to look at different ways that we can perhaps negate [a third bridge] for a while," he said.

But in the future, "maybe a third bridge would be required," said Grandy, "if we can solve some of these issues and have traffic flow and create a better solution on the Westmorland Street Bridge."