Significant changes are on the way for downtown Halifax.

A new transit hub is coming to Barrington Street that should affect thousands of people.

HRM says it will be a six-month project that when finished will include heated shelters, more seating, a layover space and wider sidewalks.

It also means four bus stops at Scotia Square will be relocated:

• Granville Street before Duke Street (Bay 1)
• Barrington Street before George Street (Bay 2)
• Albemarle Street before Duke Street (Bay 3)
• Barrington Street before Prince Street (Bay 4)

Ray Mackenzie, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508 tells us it will be an inconvenience, but information is out there to help people who ride the bus.

The changes will affect about 30 routes.

Mackenzie says the main concerns from bus drivers is what schedules will be like with the new detours.

“They’re worried about being late, they’re worried about making connections for riders…and washroom facilities.”

He adds that Scotia Square was a main lobby for drivers during shift changeovers, but there will be temporary lobbies put in place.

The work being is done is all part of the Cogswell District project; a multi-year initiative that is expected to cost $120 million to build and add green spaces, including a new place for hundreds of people to call home with planned residential projects.

Cogswell project under construction. (Source: Steve MacArthur photo)

Road closures

There will also be significant road closures.

The city says Barrington Street, from Upper Water Street to Duke Street, will be fully closed.

Access to Hotel Halifax will be from a new driveway off Cogswell Street.

Access for loading and deliveries has been coordinated with abutting property owners.

A section of the new Cogswell Street will be temporarily connected to Barrington Street at Upper Water Street.

This will allow for the re-opening of Albermarle Street and will reconnect a key east-west corridor downtown.

Traffic impacts

Project manager of the Cogswell District initiative, Donna Davis tells our newsroom that they understand major shifts in traffic is disruptive, but the project is staged to have only three.

This is to minimize the number of changes people will have to deal with.

This is phase two.

“You still will be able to get into downtown, there will be the ability to navigate through the project…there will be a new detour in place, June 17,” says Davis.

Davis says this should be the last large significant change to traffic patterns and once this phase is done, the major central traffic route through the project will be completed.

“In the third phase, there shouldn’t be too much traffic disruption because most of the areas are very small and localized in terms of the work we have left to do.”

Work begins on this phase, June 17, to be finished by the end of the year.

The Cogswell project is slated to be done by end of December 2025.