Halifax’s mayor says we need to improve the transit system in HRM and get emergency alerts out quicker when one of the bridges close.

Wednesday around 4:20 p.m., an emergency alert was issued after some dry picric acid was discovered underneath the MacKay, shutting it down, evacuating nearby buildings and causing traffic mayhem in the city.

Andy Fillmore tells our newsroom they are working hard and have good ideas on how to improve congestion when something like that happens.

“We are a city that relies on two bridges that have just a limited number of lanes for a tremendous amount of movement of people and goods. When one of those two bridges closed down, it’s difficult.  It’s going to cause congestion and frustration.”

He adds, that’s why it’s so important to get the emergency alerts out quicker, so people can make plans to get where they need to go.

Investigation underway

What caused the spill is not yet known, but Fillmore says they are looking into it.

“When Haligonians hear the word ‘picric acid’ …you know…understandably…there’s some concern because this one of the components in the hold of the ship in the Halifax Explosion, more than 100 years ago. So, that word gets people’s attention pretty quick.”

Big thanks to crews

Although shutting down the MacKay caused mayhem and a lot of congestion, Fillmore says emergency crews acted quickly.

“I do want to say a huge thank you to Halifax Regional Police, the bomb squad, and [emergency crews] …they all did a really great job responding to the scene.”

He says, closing the harbour span is never taken lightly.

“It’s a huge disappointment to so many people…it’s hours of congestion…but again, that bridge was in the radius of potential harm and if that picric acid had ignited…keeping the people safe is always going to be our number one priority.”

This incident comes only a couple of months after the MacKay bridge was shut down when a damaged crane in the area was found to be unstable.

It caused traffic to be at a standstill well before rush hour.

That investigation is also ongoing.