Good news for those who rely on the indoor pedway system in uptown Saint John.
The Saint Patrick Street pedway has finally reopened after weeks of construction delays.
City officials confirmed the opening in a social media post on Thursday afternoon.
“Please note that glass will be installed on the stair railings in the coming weeks once the materials arrive,” said the post.
“The newly installed elevator is operational while we continue work on the second elevator.”
The section of pedway had been closed since early April for a $1.6-million redevelopment project.
Work on the project was supposed to be done in October, but city officials said the contractor faced “unexpected challenges.”
The two aging escalators were replaced with wide stairs and a second elevator was installed as part of the upgrades.
Officials said this will lead to a significant reduction in annual energy and maintenance costs and provide an improved level of service.
The old escalators were original to the building and were installed in 1983 as part of the construction of the Saint Patrick Street pedway system.
Officials said mechanical failures and safety issues had forced the two escalators to be closed frequently over the past two years.
Those repairs have resulted in higher maintenance costs and inconvenience to the public and tenants, said the city.