The Nova Scotia government is committing $450 million to roadworks and ongoing projects this year and an additional $583 million to six new major construction projects between 2025 and 2030.
Public Works Minister Kim Masland announced the province’s latest five-year highway improvement plan in Friday.
The budget for highway construction and repair in 2023 is about $50 million less than the previous year.
“I mean, inflation is obviously something that’s a concern,” Masland told reporters. “We are working very closely with the road industry on how we can look at reducing costs.”
Labor shortages are also an issue, but she says Nova Scotia is being proactive.
“By having a plan ahead of time, it gives the road builders an opportunity to try to hire, try to make sure they have the resources and plan appropriately to make sure we get the projects done,” Masland said.
Public Works Minister Kim Masland said the twin highways are saving lives at a press conference on Friday. She wears a Team Canada hockey jersey the day after Canada won the world junior hockey championship in Halifax. (Patrick Callahan/CBC)
Crews will continue to work on eight major construction projects this year with a focus on the twinning of portions of Highways 101, 103, 104 and the four-lane Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector on Highway 107.
The six new major construction projects are:
- Highway 103, Argyle Interchange (Exit 32 and 32A).
- Highway 103, twinning between exit 6 (Hubards) and exit 7 (East River).
- Highway 103 connecting Exit 7 (East River) and Exit 8 (Chester).
- Highway 104 twinning between Taylors Road and Paqtnkek (Antigonish County).
- Highway 107 twinning from Burnside west of Loon Lake (Halifax Regional Municipality).
- Tancook (Lunenburg County) Ferry Infrastructure Development.
“We need to make sure we have safe highways for people to travel on, and I truly believe that twinning really does save lives,” Masland said.
The minister says the province will work with the federal government to find ways to share some costs.
Improving the condition of Highway 103 is a priority as the province’s population increases, Masland said.
“I come from the south coast. I see the sheer amount of trips that people make on the 103. It has increased dramatically,” she said. “The number of people they have who are moving to rural areas and still commuting to the city is huge.”
The plan says it would also improve access to parts of the 100 series freeways that are not twinned by adding passing lanes, turning lanes and roundabouts.
The Nova Scotia government announced last year that it was doubling its rural and gravel road repair and maintenance budget from $11 million to $22 million.
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