Shortages of materials have played havoc with the project’s construction schedule. Resulting delays have moved the opening of the new museum facility to late summer.

The company estimates recent shutdowns will remove approximately 750 million board feet of annual production capacity, or the equivalent of enough lumber to build nearly 46,000 houses.

Delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.

The first of 108 pairs of stay cables was installed on the US side of the bridge over the week of January 16. The cables will connect the towers to the bridge and road deck.

The federal housing agency says the vacancy rate for such properties sat at 1.9 per cent last year, down from 3.8 per cent a year earlier.