Halifax officials are mulling over changes to make bike lanes on the Macdonald Bridge more user friendly — including ways to bypass steep ramps — but the work won't be done until after the Big Lift project is complete.

City planners will present a variety of options for accessing the bridge from the Dartmouth and Halifax sides at a public meeting Nov. 16 and two more Nov. 17.

Crews dismantled the walking and cycling lanes on the bridge more than a year ago as part of the redecking project. They will remain closed until the deck replacement work is finished.

When they reopen, the existing off ramp on the Halifax side, which directs cyclists down to Barrington Street, will still be there.

Ramp demands 'great effort'

"It's difficult for people of all ages and abilities to use that to cross over to Dartmouth," said Kelsey Lane, executive director of the Halifax Cycling Coalition.

"The grade is about 10 per cent and that requires a really great effort if you're not fit or you don't want to arrive to work sweaty. And those are deterrents."

Lane said the coalition would like to see a flyover ramp, or overpass lane for bicyles, from the bridge to Lorne Terrace by the entrance to CFB Stadacona off North Street.

"That grade is a beautiful, even connection to places like Brunswick Street, which is the easiest place to get downtown," she said.

Bike and pedestrian lanes on the Macdonald Bridge are scheduled to open during the day in late December. (CBC)

Several possible options

City planners say there are two types of flyover ramps on the Halifax side under consideration — the shorter one to Lorne Terrace and a longer one that would end on the green space on the north side of North Street, by the base's wall.

They're studying intersections on both the Halifax and Dartmouth sides and how they connect to bike routes.

Kelsey Lane of the Halifax Cycling Coalition says people have to propel themselves up a steep access ramp if they want to cycle over the bridge from Halifax to Dartmouth. (CBC)

"We're trying to make it as convenient and safe as possible and that's a driving motivation," said David MacIsaac, who is in charge of the project for the municipality.

"We're trying to think about how to help, especially new cyclists, people who might be interested in bicycling but may have been put off by the fact you had to access the bridge bike lane in such a complicated way."

One thing at a time

He said the scope of the work involved in the Big Lift is too large to undertake another big project in the same area at the same time. Halifax Harbour Bridges's timeline says the bike and pedestrian lanes will reopen during the day by the end of December.

The city is also looking at routes from the bridge to downtown Dartmouth, to north-end Dartmouth and to Burnside, as well as ways to cross the Wyse Road and Nantucket Avenue intersection.

City planners are looking for input on the best way to get cyclists from the bridge to both downtown Dartmouth and Burnside Industrial Park. (Paul Poirier/CBC)

MacIsaac expects to have a report ready for regional council early in 2017. He said if work goes ahead to change intersections, that could be done in phases over several years — for instance, when a road is being repaved. Early estimates peg a new flyover ramp at about $2 million.

The municipality will decide on preferred options after the public meetings, which will be held at the Italian Cultural Centre on Agricola Street and Alderney Landing in Dartmouth.

The Halifax Cycling Coalition is holding its own session Nov. 13 to get feedback on the Macdonald Bridge design proposals and other bike lanes in the city.