Parallel to the work being done on harbour drive, Halifax set out to solve a number of other traffic problems in the city. The 1945 Master plan for the city of Halifax identified the need for a bridge over the northwest arm to connect to the suburbs in the Halifax County community of spryfield. The Harbour Drive Functional report also called on the city to build a bridge over the northwest arm, and a second harbour crossing.

The need for a crossing across the North West Arm first came to Council in October 2 1963. The first idea proposed in March 1966 was a $2million North West Arm Causeway. Part of the project involved replacing the Armdale rotary with a series of overpases. A Model requested to show to citizens, size and elevations of the project. That June, council was presented with a Letter of opposition signed by 600 residents against a causeway across the arm north of the public baths.

The rotary was constructed in 1953, with a capacity of 20000 vehicles per day. The rotary replaced a 5 way intersection, but by 1963 it was seeing close to double its design capacity at 37,000 vehicles per day.

Residents were concerned that proposed improvements to the rotary would block views from Dutch Village Rd (Now Joseph Howe) of the Arm. There were also concerns that the causeway would delay construction of a bridge over the North West Arm, compound traffic problem rather then relive it, and render the water north of the causeway stagnant leading to its eventual infill, and render the public baths useless.

The Public Baths were located on what is know Horseshoe Island, and served as a popular bathing beach. The baths consisted of a Substantial 100 stall (50men, 50 women) change room and shower structure. The plans below are form the Halifax Archives, and show the Public Baths as they existed in 1926, with a substantial beach.

A Council committee met with minister of highways in June 1966. At the meeting, A model was on display, and reports produced by Fenco Engineering Co Ltd. The Provinces Department of Highways was against grade separation at rotary – citing concerns about aesthetics, the cost of acquiring land, and a lack of relief roads.

The city’s preferred solution was a bridge over the Northwest Arm at Robie, but it was felt this would not solve rotary traffic flows. The City was also concerned that if city annexed Spryfield, city would be on the hook for bridge/causeway and not province. There was also the matter of the outstanding Pratley study on a second harbour crossing and NW Arm Crossing then underway for HDBC

After the MacDonald bridge opened opened in 1955, traffic had tripled by 1962, indicating growth of 15%/year. reports calculated that the MacDonald had a practical capacity of 1440 vehicles/hour/direction, but was carrying 1600.

in 1962 the Halifax Dartmouth Bridge Commission appointed Pratly and Dorton to carry out a study on the need, location, costs and financing of a second crossing. their 1963 report “Halifax Area Bridge Study 1963” was the result.

the report looked at 4 sites for the proposed crossing.

site 1 was the narrows location. it was the shortest crossing, and so the most economical to build. the Dartmouth shore was out of the shipping channel, and shallow water would make pier construction simple.

site 2 was a second parallel bridge, located 250′ south of the MacDonald. each bridge would operate in a single direction.

Site 3 connected the foot of Cornwallis (Now Nora Bernard) street with Alderney landing in Dartmouth. the site was geographically complex. Due to its location, a minimum vertical height of 165′ was required, with 180′ over the main shipping channel.

site 4, connected the Dartmouth circumferential highway to the south end via Georges island. Due to the flatness on the Halifax side, a large approach structure would be required, and would connect nicely with a bridge over the NW Arm.

The as the MacDonald was a 2 lane bridge, the study planned for a three lane bridge with a centre lane reversing with peak flow. the Bridge commission desired a 4 lane bridge, to simplify operations.

the 1963 report indicated that a south end bridge over Georges island and the NW Arm bridge should be built simultaneously. these bridges would support a ring road around the metropolitan area, and their combined construction would have benefits in financing.

The North West Arm Bridge would eventually get linked to the second harbour crossing. Pratly’s report had proposed four possible locations for the crossing. The Functional plan for Harbour drive included accommodations for both a narrows bridge, a south end tunnel, and twinning the MacDonald with a second parallel bridge.

By August 1964, agreement of need for second harbour crossing was confirmed by premier. If the Halifax, Dartmouth and County councils decided on narrows crossing, the province would direct HDBC to build bridge and provide financing. later that month, Halifax Council passed a motion endorsing this, along with Robie street improvements and NW Arm bridge.

The city of Halifax preferred a south end crossing, as it felt the Narrows bridge would benefit the county and Dartmouth mostly as it bypassing Halifax.

The city of Dartmouth rejected the south end option, and preferred the narrows bridge or twinning the MacDonald. A south end tunnel was estimated at a cost of $40million vs $20million for the narrows bridge with approach roads. Narrows bridge first proposed in October 1964.

In the Summer of 1965, the city of Halifax looked at its priorities. Fixing the rotary, the North west arm Bridge, were more important to the city then the narrows crossing. Halifax attempted to linking its support of a narrows bridge with the nw arm bridge. That fall, the Hdbc was instructed by the Nova Scotia Government to build and operate second crossing. HDBC chooses narrows site.

At the same time the city received a letter from Nova Scotia premier Robert Stanfield, indicating that studies into the North west arm bridge state that the bridge would not be needed until 1973, and if built prior to then would run at a deficit. He was instructing the HDBC to update the studies, and committed the province to help with Rotary improvements.

in June 1966 an examination of rotary improvements comes before council. Overpasses wont help, and will be expensive and ugly. In the end it was decided instead to add a right turn lanes from Herring cove to Quinpool, and from Dutch Village Rd to St.Margarets Bay Rd allowing traffic to bypass the rotary. They would also widen the rodary by shrinking centre circle, and widen herring cove rd from the rotary to Purcells cove rd. and install lights there. These changes would last until 2004, when the rotary took its current configuration.

Council passed a motion in September to build Narrows bridge per Plan B of Pratly report and the NW Arm Bridge per Plan C – at cost of $35 million. the next spring, with planning continuing, the approaches for narrows bridge approved Plan TT-7—l6898. council also entertains discussions about building elevated highway over railcut, so robie remains residential in the south end.

The Regional planning commission weighed into the debate in June 1967, suggesting deferring the arm bridge to later date. this suggestion goes against the cities call for simultaneous construction of the Northwest Arm bridge with the Narrows bridge. Councils rescinds its motion of support for the Narrows bridge.

“NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Halifax demand, that the Halifax—Dartmouth Bridge Commission make immediate application to the Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia, for financial assistance necessary to start the immediate construction of the North West Arm Bridge.”
-Halifax Council, October 26, 1967

The Bridge Commission had wanted the city of Halifax to Pay for the Halifax approaches to the bridge. When the Planning commission suggested deferring construction, it was suggested that HDBC could build approaches for narrows bridge with funds that were intended for arm bridge. Halifax was not thrilled at paying for part of a bridge they didn’t want, while not getting the one they did.

In the end, with no Northwest arm bridge forthcoming, council sent a letter to the bridge commission indicating it couldn’t pay for the approaches to the narrows bridge.

the McKay bridge was the first bridge in north America with a Ortotropic Deck. This design was developed in post war Germany where materials were in short supply.