Traffic on the MacKay bridge returned to normal by rush hour Wednesday afternoon after a transport truck struck the overhead canopy of a toll booth in the morning, snarling up commuters.
Alison MacDonald, communications manager for Halifax Harbour Bridges, said no one was injured in the incident, but three Halifax-bound lanes leading to the bridge were closed for the morning as a precaution while staff assessed the damage.
The truck, which had attempted to go through a Halifax-bound car lane, was removed at about noon and one of the adjacent lanes was opened, she said.
“The toll lane that the truck was in, that will remain closed . . . because we are still assessing the damage,” MacDonald said. By about 3 p.m., or by the time rush hour starts, the lane on the other side was to be opened to traffic.
“We still have investigation to do, but it doesn’t look like there’s any significant structural damage in the lanes surrounding it. Obviously, the lane that was most impacted is not usable now, but the toll lanes on either side are in good enough shape that we can open them . . . without any risk to the public or our staff.”
Traffic slowed considerably in the morning, with vehicles backed up onto the Circumferential Highway in Dartmouth.
MacDonald said the lane that will remain closed until repairs can be made was one of the few that accepted cash, but one of the Macpass-only lanes has been converted to permit motorists with Macpasses or cash, to avoid creating a bottleneck for drivers paying with coin.
