Halifax Launches Cogswell District Project, But Completion Date Is Far Away – Halifax | The Canadian News

Halifax officially launched its Cogswell District project on Tuesday, which is billed as “the largest city building project in Halifax history.”

The project will convert 16 acres of road infrastructure, where the Cogswell Interchange is located, into a mixed-use neighborhood, the city said in a statement.

The project will involve extending the downtown entrance to the north and creating development blocks capable of supporting new residential and commercial developments for 2,500 people.

“It will connect the vibrant downtown region with the historic north end and picturesque waterfront, creating a stronger and more inclusive network of communities,” said the municipal administrative director Jacques Dubé.

The $ 122.6 million project will include bike lanes, multi-use trails, new parks and open spaces, a transit center, and a central urban plaza to “transform this traffic-centric area into a pedestrian-friendly area for people live, work, and play. “

The statement said the project “has the potential to be primarily self-financing in the long term once construction is complete and the redevelopment of the area is completed.”

“The sale of the land, the cost-sharing of utilities and subsequent property taxes will help offset the initial investment and generate long-term recurring income for the municipality,” he said.

The Cogswell Interchange was built in the 1960s to accommodate a planned waterfront highway that was never built. There has been talk of tearing down and rebuilding the exchange for decades.

Tuesday’s statement said the pre-construction phase began in mid-September and is expected to last three months, with construction fully mobilized beginning in winter 2022.

The construction phase of the project is expected to take up to four years to complete.

He said the city is aiming to complete the construction of three bypass roads by spring 2022 and that a construction schedule for the roads will be shared once it is completed.

Two of the bypass roads will modify north-south traffic through the construction site and the third will modify east-west traffic.

“These bypass roads are necessary to allow construction zones to be established within the project site,” the statement said.

He said residents will receive advance notice of potential traffic impacts.