Motorists will be able to put weekend closures of the Macdonald Bridge in Halifax in their rear-view mirror by the middle of September, but nighttime closures will still be happening until late fall.

For more than two years, the deck replacement project known as the Big Lift has had evening and weekend shutdowns.

Four large bumps on the Macdonald Bridge have also slowed down the commute.

Project manager Jon Eppell said drivers will have a much smoother ride when all of the bridge expansion joints are replaced and the paving around them is completed in a few weeks.

"It should be pretty good at that stage for people to drive across," he said.

The walking and cycling lanes on the Macdonald Bridge reopened in June, nearly two years after they were closed for the Big Lift. (CBC)

A water main that runs under the bridge is also expected to be reconnected and tested by the end of September.

The nighttime closures will continue until crews finish up a list of other jobs, including:

Waterproofing the main cables.

Making improvements to platforms at the top of towers.

Installing navigation lighting.

Finishing installation of roadway lighting.

Reconnecting emergency phones.

"The complicated stuff on the project is finished, but it's picking away at these miscellaneous pieces," said Eppell.

One final job will have to wait until next spring. That's when a new platform for performing maintenance underneath the bridge will be installed.