Cyclists commuting in and out of Riverdale will have to wait until next summer for their own space on the Robert Campbell Bridge.

The city had planned to have the bridge across the Yukon River widened to accommodate cycling traffic in both directions by the end of the fall.

As council learned at its meeting Tuesday evening though, construction won't get underway until next spring.

Coun. Dave Stockdale questioned Mike Gau, the city's director of development services, about the delay.

Gau said physical work on the bridge isn't expected to start until 2014 now.

Engineering manager Wayne Tuck explained in an interview this morning the design process has taken a little longer than expected.

After the design phase, there are still materials that will have to come in.

It had been anticipated that most of the work would be done this season, with some final work next year.

But, since the design is taking longer than expected, Tuck said, the city didn't want to see the work stop just shortly after starting this fall, as the weather gets cooler.

"It doesn't appear possible,” Tuck said of doing the construction work this fall.

Instead, the focus this year will be on finishing up the design and getting materials in place so that the physical work of widening the bridge can start as soon as the weather allows in the spring of 2014.

The city awarded the $1.58-million contract for the bridge in July to Wildstone Construction.

Despite the delay in construction work getting underway, Tuck expects the project will remain on budget.

Meanwhile, just beyond the bridge on the Riverdale side, commuters will notice a big change beginning Sunday, when the new traffic lights are activated at Hospital Road.

City officials said Thursday the new lights directing traffic will go into operation at 9 a.m. Sunday. Testing (putting them into flashing mode) is set for Saturday.

"These new signals are installed to provide for improved traffic flow through the intersection during peak-hour traffic flow conditions,” the city said in its statement.

"Traffic travelling on Lewes Boulevard will have priority at all times.”

The signals will change only when it is necessary for vehicles turning left from Hospital Road onto Lewes Boulevard, or for vehicles turning left toward downtown coming out of the skateboard park.

"For a vehicle to activate a green signal, they must stop over a wire loop buried underneath the asphalt.”

Skookum Asphalt was awarded the $195,955 contract for the work.

The city had initially considered building a roundabout to help control traffic at the intersection.

That, however, would not have suited the traffic patterns for Riverdale, which generally sees considerable northbound traffic in the morning and southbound traffic in the afternoon.

Roundabouts are typically better-suited to a more balanced flow, it was noted in an administrative report to city council earlier this year.