Welcome to the Cogswell Lowdown. Over the last 12+ months DHBC has been keeping tabs on the "biggest city building project Halifax has ever seen." Follow below for the latest information. And you can always join in on the conversation.
Cogswell District Monthly Stakeholder Meeting
Join us for a monthly virtual meeting on all things Cogswell. Hosted by HRM's Cogswell Project Managers, Downtown Halifax Stakeholders are given an update on progress and a 30-day overview. To join, please email Jayme at jayme@downtownhalifax.ca
The next meeting is December 17.
December 6, 2024
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Traffic Implications
Barrington Street from Upper Water to Duke is now open
Downtown commuters are now able to drive the "new," realigned Barrington Street. It is currently only two lanes (with a lot of work still happening around it) but on December 16 the plan is to have all lanes open to coincide with the new transit hub opening.
Cogswell Street from Albemarle to Barrington is closed until 5:00 a.m. December 16
While Barrington opened, Cogswell (from Barrington to Albemarle) closed to allow crews to complete work there. The yellow in the map below represents what is open, and the red shows is closed. It will re-open on December 16.
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New Transit Hub
New Halifax Transit Terminal to open in the Cogswell District on December 16
Residents are advised that on Dec. 16, 2024, the new Halifax Transit Terminal at Scotia Square will open, rerouting approximately 30 Halifax Transit routes that have been on detour for the last six months. The Transit Terminal will include new heated shelters, additional seating and waiting space for passengers, wider sidewalks and an additional bus bay. New trees and landscaping elements will be installed in 2025.
For more information on the Cogswell District project, visit: halifax.ca/cogswell
November 25, 2024
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Traffic Implications
Barrington Street from Upper Water to Duke will re-open Monday, November 25 at 5 a.m.
Starting Monday, November 25, commuters to Downtown will finally get to experience the "new," realigned Barrington Street. It will only be two lanes until the bus lanes are complete December 16 (the new transit hub will open then too!)
Cogswell Street from Albemarle to Barrington will be closed starting Monday, November 25 at 5 a.m.
While Barrington re-opens, Cogswell will be closed from Barrington to Albemarle to allow crews to complete work there. The yellow in the map below represents what is reopening Monday, and the red shows what will be closed.
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New Street Names
PSA - New street names coming to the Cogswell District
The Halifax Regional Municipality is announcing three new street names in the Cogswell District: Reconciliation Way, Dr. Alfred Waddell Street and Amalamek Way. These names were included in the commemorative names list and were approved by Regional Council on Sept. 3, 2024.
Dr. Alfred Waddell Street - Name changeover date: Nov. 25
The name Dr. Alfred Waddell Street reflects an individual who has demonstrated excellence, courage and exceptional service to the citizens of the municipality.Dr. Alfred Waddell was among the first of Dalhousie University’s black physicians to graduate. He established his first medical practice at the southwest corner of Gottingen and Nora Bernard streets. Dr. Waddell dedicated his life to providing medical care to isolated, marginalized and underserved communities while speaking out against racial injustice, oppression and segregation through lobbying and other efforts.
Dr. Alfred Waddell Street will open in early Dec.
Amalamek Way (Um-a-lem-ick) - Name changeover date: Dec. 9
Following the recommendation from the Task Force on the Commemoration of Edward Cornwallis and the Recognition and Commemoration of Indigenous History, Amalamek, the Mi’kmaw word for mackerel. This name honours the historical fishing patterns of the Mi’kmaq people.Amalamek Way is open to local traffic only.
For more information on the Cogswell District project, visit: halifax.ca/cogswell
October 28, 2024
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Traffic Implications
NEW Barrington Street Roundabout
The new roundabout on Barrington, near Nora Bernard, opens to drivers at 6 a.m. Monday, October 28. With this opening, the small section of Barrington Street (that we have been taking into Downtown) will be closed. Click here for more information.
Other key lane drops and closures:
Traffic will be slow on Upper Water Street because of lane drops until midnight Wednesday.
Nora Bernard Street between Brunswick and Barrington Streets will be closed until Friday, November 8.
Barrington Street between Prince and George Streets will be closed 7 p.m. Monday until Wednesday at 6 a.m.
Brunswick Street between Artz and Uniacke Streets will be closed 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday.
HRM has released a work plan that covers now until mid-December. The plan is to have this work, including the new Transit Hub on Barrington, done by December 20, 2024 (maybe earlier.)
CBC's Josh Hoffman interviews Elora Wilkinson, project manager - October 22, 2024
Progress Photos
As of October 28, 2024
Cogswell District Monthly Stakeholder Meeting
Join us for a monthly virtual meeting on all things Cogswell. Hosted by Cogswell Project Managers, they give Downtown Halifax Stakeholders a 30-day overview. To join, please email Jayme at jayme@downtownhalifax.ca
September 23, 2024
Upper Water Closure
Upper Water Street, between Casino Nova Scotia and the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Hotel will be closed 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25 to 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26; and then again 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 to midnight Monday, Sept. 30 (so all weekend.) More information here: https://www.halifax.ca/home/news/road-closure-upper-water-street-4
New Street Names
On September 3, 2024, Halifax Regional Council approved the following street name changes:
- Proctor Street is now Dr. Alfred Waddell Street.
- Bells Lane will be renamed Reconciliation Way
- Poplar Street will now be known as Amalamek Way.
Effective by the end of the year.
The journey into Downtown Halifax looks different!
This section of Barrington Street (in front of Scotia Square) is closed to traffic until 2025.
Now until the end of the year, Barrington Street between Duke and Upper Water Street (see above picture) is closed, allowing for the next phase of work to start on the Cogswell Redevelopment project. Work being done includes:
- a new reimagined transit hub on Barrington Street.
- the last piece of major infrastructure (the overpass seen below) has been torn down to allow for realignment of new Barrington.
This overpass is now torn down, a major project milestone.
Two new ways to access Downtown - Upper Water Street and Cogswell/Brunswick Street Intersection
A new detour road has been built where Barrington is closed (at Upper Water Street). This new (detour) road allows commuters the choice to either turn left at Upper Water, or use the new road up to the intersection at Cogswell and Brunswick.
Transit will be the most affected, more on that below.
Red represents closed and is the Barrington St. we're used to using. Green is all open, and the black dots up to Cogswell is the NEW road.
Hotel access:
Hotel Halifax's new driveway is off Cogswell Street, and access for loading and deliveries has been coordinated with abutting property owners.
Hotel Barrington's new drop-off location is here:
Transit Service Disruptions
Now until end of year, the four bus bays in front of Scotia Square have been relocated!
As a result, 30 routes passing through Barrington Street and surrounding area have been re-routed.
The impacted bus bays have been relocated to:
Granville Street before Duke Street (Bay 1) *NEW
Image- Barrington Street before George Street (Bay 2)
- Albemarle Street before Duke Street (Bay 3)
- Barrington Street before Prince Street (Bay 4)
Click here for more information on the transit service disruptions specifically.
May 21, 2024
Community Engagement Sessions
Global News checks in with Ross Grant with HRM Planning and Development, to learn more about upcoming public engagement opportunities regarding land use policies in the Cogswell District, including an Open House on May 22 (2p-4p & 7p-9p) at the Halifax Convention Centre, Room 604.
https://globalnews.ca/video/10513903/feedback-on-the-future-of-cogswell-district/
April 16, 2024
It's all starting become more clear!
After another great meeting with HRM on everything Cogswell related, we're happy to share some must-know traffic information and some other "good to know" high- level stuff. You can follow along on HRM's page too.
On May 20th, Halifax Transit confirms that 4 Downtown Halifax bus stops will be relocated due to the latest work being done at Cogswell.
- 2 stops on Barrington St., (by George St. and the other near Prince St.) and,
- 2 stops on Duke St. (at the corner of Granville, and the corner of Duke and Albemarle.) Full story here.
This is a great aerial shot of the alignment of what will be the “new” Barrington Street (blue line). The yellow arrow is where the new Barrington will connect to the new Cogswell. The blue box is an electrical vault.
Here you can see the last bridge that will come down in June and some significant grading will be done to adjust the elevation of Barrington Street. The yellow arrow down (with blue line) is the new Bells Lane and where it connects to Upper Water St.
*They won’t tear the bridge down until Cogswell is re-opened.
Good shot of the “performance stage” being built in what will be called Granville Park.
Here you can see where the current Granville Mall meets the “new.” They've installed benches, fairy lights and the cobblestone is expected to be completed this week. Once that's complete they will be able to open it up to pedestrians.
The end of the "new" Cogswell Street can be seen here, which is outside the Purdy's Wharf parkade. There has been some significant work happening around here leading up to closing the exisiting exit and entrance on Upper Water Street. The new entrance will open the weekend of April 26.
January 22, 2024
It all comes tumbling down!
If you've driven down Barrington Street lately, you've probably noticed the Cogswell overpass (ramp) that connected Brunswick & Barrington is GONE. If you haven't been Downtown to see it for yourself, HRM installed 3 time lapse video cameras, so you can keep up on the progress from the comfort of the internet.
CLICK HERE for more.
What you can expect over the next 30 days:
- the crew continues to work hard at integrating what will be the "new" Barrington St.
- the crew have already started grinding up the cement leftover from the ramp (seen above) and will continue to grate.
- the overpass to nowhere (seen below) just came down.
December 12, 2023 (HRM Council Meeting)
The Next Chapter
For decades, DHBC has been a champion of the Cogswell District Redevelopment project, even leading a "Cogswell Coalition" to influence the plans and process for the whole re-design.
This week, HRM Council started the next chapter for Cogswell by initiating design parameters of the land/buildings that will be built by the development community. This is the final part of the planning process.
Item No. 15.1.7 - Cogswell District Land Use Policies
DHBC's Letter of Support - sent December 11, 2023.
Dear Mayor Mike Savage, and HRM Council (Halifax Regional Municipality)
We are very excited to see the Cogswell District Land Use Policies report coming forward to Council (Item 15.1.7, December 12, 2023) and wholeheartedly endorse all three recommendations.
The redevelopment of the Cogswell District is a generational downtown and city-building opportunity.
As HRM staff is directed to (i) initiate the land use bylaw process, (ii) develop an affordable housing strategy, and (iii) create a unique public participation process, we would encourage HRM to engage with individuals and organizations with decades of expertise and passion which they have poured into envisioning a new Cogswell. This certainly includes Downtown Halifax Business Commission, as well as a broader “Cogswell Coalition”, consisting of a variety of organizations. Fourteen of these organizations, along with HRM, funded the report by Gehl Architects, “Towards a Human Scale Cogswell District” (2018). That report helped inform the public aspects of the district, and contains many recommendations for the private realm, which should be considered.
The Downtown community is excited by the potential the new Cogswell district will bring, in reconnecting communities, and providing new opportunities for Downtown Halifax and our capital city.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul MacKinnon, CEO, DHBC
October 17, 2023 Update (Tour)
Earlier this month, DHBC was one of many stakeholders invited on a guided tour of the Cogswell District Redevelopment Project. As we were led through the pedways by Cogswell District Project Manager, Elora Wilkinson, master plans and road closure diagrams were passed around as we quickly discussed work done to-date before jumping into the next year's plan.
Since this undertaking is the “biggest city-building project in Halifax’s history,” it seems only fair to dedicate some time explaining what folks can expect (between now and 2025) with pictures and terminology that everyone can understand.
Side note: HRM confirms that traffic modelling has been completed to assure the road network can accommodate these upcoming temporary changes.
October 18, 2023 - June 2024
Building a NEW Cogswell Street
Cogswell Street, from Brunswick to Barrington Streets, will be closed.
During this time, folks are asked to use detours via Brunswick, Duke, or Nora Bernard (formerly Cornwallis) Streets and Halifax Transit routes will be re-routed (visit HRM’s website for more on that).
Red section will be closed October 18, 2023 – June 2024.
As the tour made its way outside, Elora took us into the "heart" of the Cogswell District's open space network, the highly anticipated "Granville Park."
This space will connect to Barrington and Upper Water Streets via a "new" Bells Lane and will connect to Granville Mall via a street-level plaza with stairs. It will feature a variety of flexible and programmed spaces (community gatherings, concerts, markets, etc.) and will have a splash pad and performance stage.
The picture above gives you an idea, but it's definitely not as cool as some of the renderings we've seen. Our point? This park is going to be so cool! But, we digress...
Back to the not-so-sexy stuff (but equally cool) - the old Cogswell overpass is coming down! This first closure is allowing Dexter Construction (the team behind all of this work) to continue their mass excavation, installing underground services and the construction of what will now be the new Cogswell Street.
New Cogswell Street (blue); Cogswell overpass will come down (green)
Blue arrow shows how "new" Cogswell Street will connect to Barrington and Upper Water.
June - December 2024
Barrington Street closed & a NEW Bus Terminal
Once the new permanent Cogswell Street is up and running, the crew can move onto the biggest closure to date: Barrington Street, from the former Cogswell Street intersection to Duke Street, will be closed.
During this time, folks will be asked to use detours via Upper Water or Nora Bernard (formerly Cornwallis) Streets. The Halifax Transit Terminal on Barrington Street will be temporarily relocated. Work to be done will include installing underground services and the construction of a "new" Barrington Street and Bells Lane Transit Hub. This Hub is a pedestrian-focused space that will provide amenities for transit users and street-level retail.
It's important to note that this bus terminal is being predicted for completion 12 months ahead of the original timeline. This is because of the tireless work being done by HRM and the crew at Dexter.
Red section will be closed June – December 2024.
Chompy the Digger
As the tour started to wind down, we couldn’t help but stop and watch the dedicated team at Dexter move giant pipes around. (Let's be honest, no matter how old you are, watching “diggers” dig and cranes strategically place giant objects on tiny platforms, never gets old.)
Fun fact: One of the diggers has been named "Chompy," so if you see a children's book in the near future, titled "Chompy the Cogswell Digger," remember you heard it here first.
And according to Halifax Water, we should be very excited about these new pipes 😊 (more on this later.)
Short-term pain for long-term gain
So, when you’re stuck in traffic over the next year, this is what you need to remember: this $122.6M project will be complete in 2025, and when it is, we will be so much better for it!
We will have:
- Converted over 16 acres of road infrastructure into mixed-use neighbourhoods.
- High-quality dedicated cycling lanes, multi-use paths, new parks, and open spaces.
- A reimagined transit hub on Barrington Street.
- A significant central urban square that will transform this traffic-centric area into a livable pedestrian friendly area.
- And, we're adding a few new streets while reclaiming one we didn't even know existed!