Why a 5-year Plan
The 2014-15 Five Year Highway
Improvement Plan maps out
government's approach to repairing
and maintaining the province's 23,000
kilometres of roads and highways and
4,100 bridges. The plan outlines major
highway and road projects, repaving,
major bridge replacements, capital
maintenance and infrastructure work the
province plans to pursue year by year
over the next five years. It also includes
road construction facts, explains how
projects are prioritized and the funding
required.
Sharing the specific plans for road
improvement in the Five Year Highway
Improvement Plan gives private
companies better opportunity to
prepare for the more than 120 upcoming
highway improvement projects in 2014-
15. It also helps to inform Nova Scotians
about the improvements being made
in their communities and how these
projects are selected.
To allow the private sector to take
full advantage of all the upcoming
projects, the asphalt plant and chip seal
operation has been discontinued. The
road building industry in Nova Scotia
is a large source of jobs, creating an
estimated 5,000 direct and 2,500 indirect
positions every year. The annual payroll
for Nova Scotians employed in road
building is approximately $300 million.
For instance, a typical $2 million paving
contract generates about 60 direct jobs
and about $200,000 worth of business for the trucking industry and spin-off
benefits for local businesses that provide
construction materials, metalwork/
welding, engineering, electrical and
hazard removal.