Macdonald Bridge bike, pedestrian lanes repurposed for walking trails
You could call them mini-Macdonalds — sections of the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge's pedestrian and bike lanes that are being repurposed for walking trails in the city.
The first of these sections is in place and when it opens officially, it will give people a new access point to the Chain of Lakes Trail in Halifax.
A piece of the bridge's former bike lane has been placed across a small stream that flows from First Chain Lake. Until now, people have been using makeshift bridges — made of logs, pieces of wood and cement — to get across it to the trail.
Don Bauld, who has used the trail regularly for years, likes the idea of the bike lane being recycled.
"That's a great idea to make use of it in a place like this," he said.
Lesley Bleil, who lives nearby, didn't know a section of the Macdonald Bridge was being repurposed in her neighbourhood.
"It's a great idea and if it keeps people off the highway — even better," she said.
Bleil said she and others have been using the nearby Northwest Arm Drive overpasses to get from one side of the stream to the other.
In all, about 300 sections of the bike lane and pedestrian walkway from the Macdonald Bridge have been made available to the Halifax Regional Municipality and to local ATV and snowmobile groups.
Barry Barnet, the executive director of the ATV Association of Nova Scotia, said his association was coordinating the installation of the old bridge sections with local riding associations. He said about a dozen have been installed so far and he expects there's enough material for about 60 bridges in all.
Barnet expects to take about three years to use up all the material.
Tim Westhaver, another trail user, said the addition of a real bridge will come in handy for him and other dog owners.
"I can walk my dog farther," he said.
