Federal officials have announced more than $10 million for a pair of projects in Saint John.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was at Port Saint John on Tuesday to unveil the details.
Alghabra said up to $7.3 million has been earmarked for the remaining two phases of the Harbour Bridge rehabilitation project.
“These improvements will extend the life of the bridge and ensure the steady flow of goods between Saint John, Halifax and the U.S. state of Maine,” said Alghabra.
Work includes removing installing high-performance waterproofing and a new asphalt wearing surface, replacing some expansion joints and eliminating others by installing continuous link slabs, and replacing bearings.
The province is also spending up to $7.7 million for the remaining phases for a total investment of $15 million.
Saint John Lancaster MLA Dorothy Shephard said phase three is expected to begin in April, with phase four beginning in the spring of 2024.
The bridge, located along Route 1, will be reduced to two lanes from early April until late November for this year’s portion of the work.
“As the work that goes on the Harbour Bridge happens, it’s not always convenient but it’s so necessary and it’s vital to the life of the bridge,” said Shephard, who attended on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Carr.
Alghabra also announced up to $2.8 million to provide more space for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to inspect cargo arriving at Port Saint John.
The Saint John Port Authority is contributing $2.8 million toward the project, for a total investment of $5.6 million.
“Given the rise in the traffic that we’re seeing here, we needed to adjust to that and grow our CBSA facility,” said Alghabra.
Close to 150,000 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units) moved through Port Saint John in 2022, up from 87,000 the year before.
An ongoing modernization project at the port will see the port able to accommodate 800,000 containers annually within the next couple of years.
Federal funding for both projects came from the National Trade Corridors Fund. A total of $4.7 billion over 11 years has been allocated to the program.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces more than $10M for two projects in #SaintJohn.
Much of that will go toward upgrades on Harbour Bridge. The rest is for upgrades to CBSA to reduce congestion at the port. pic.twitter.com/THepawKLZz
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) February 28, 2023
