FREDERICTON (CNB) – Due to rising water levels on the St. John River, the closure of the Princess Margaret Bridge will be delayed, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams announced today.

"Because of the possible impact of flood waters on the ramps of the Westmorland Street Bridge, and on local streets and trails in and around Fredericton, we have postponed the closure that had been scheduled for Sunday, May 8, until later in the week," said Williams. "We will examine the situation on a daily basis, and will keep the public informed about a new closure date.

"In preparing for this project, we built in a flexible closure date because we knew that flooding could be an issue,” he said. “Our goal is to protect motorists and minimize the impact on the public, and we will not close the bridge until we are certain the risk of flooding has ended."

Once a new closure date is determined, the Princess Margaret Bridge will be closed to all traffic until Sept. 5, to accommodate the final phase of repairs to the 52-year-old structure.  The rehabilitation work will be carried out by SNC Lavalin Inc.

"We do not anticipate that the reopening date of Sept. 5 will be affected by this brief delay," said Williams. "We are working closely with the contractor to ensure that this schedule is maintained."

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06-05-11