Highway 104 Twinning Project Reaches Milestone

A new section of twinned highway on Highway 104 opened to traffic today, May 17, making travel safer and easier for people living in, and travelling through, Pictou and Antigonish Counties.

The section is a 10-kilometre stretch of brand new four-lane, divided highway over Weaver’s Mountain. Another two-kilometres to James River has also been finished. It is part of a larger project that will see Highway 104 twinned from the New Brunswick border to just east of Antigonish.

“Twinned highways help to keep Nova Scotia drivers safe,” said Kim Masland, Minister of Public Works. “Completing this stretch of highway is a significant milestone for the highway 104 twinning project. It’s an exciting time for the hundreds of people working on this project, for communities along this highway and for trade across the country that travels through this important corridor.”

The newly twinned highway 104 is expected to be fully open to drivers later this summer.

The construction cost of the project is $364.3 million, including $274.3 million from the Province and up to $90 million from the Government of Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund.

Quotes:

"The opening of the new section of twinned highways on Highway 104 is a testament to our commitment to prioritize the safety of Canadians and strengthen our supply chain. The National Trade Corridors Fund supports important trade routes across the country, including this crucial corridor in Nova Scotia. The improved infrastructure will not only make travel safer, but also contribute to the efficient flow of goods and services in Canada.”

– Federal Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra.

“We are proud to work on a project of this magnitude and with such positive impacts on the future of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada. This is a major milestone that provides significantly improved safety to this roadway. The progress that this occasion represents is due to the many Nova Scotians working hard every day to bring this project to completion. We’re almost there.”

– Ken MacLean, Chair, Dexter Nova Alliance GP

“On behalf of all St. FX students, faculty and staff who use the Trans Canada 104 to travel to campus daily, this is very exciting news. The twinning of the highway between Antigonish and New Glasgow creates a safer and shorter commute for everyone. I would like to recognize both the Province and the Federal Government for making this a reality. Also, it’s remarkable to see the hard work completed by construction teams over the past few years. We are very grateful.”

– David Graham, Vice President Advancement, St. Francis Xavier University

Quick Facts:

• the project covers about 38 kilometres of highway and includes the construction of two new interchanges, 24 new bridges and environmental enhancements including wildlife corridors and fencing
• once completed, Dexter Nova Alliance will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of 63 kilometres of highway
• workers have moved more than five-and-a-half million cubic metres of earth, and put down more than 250,000 tonnes of asphalt
• the project has created nearly two million person-hours of work, which is roughly the same as 1,000 years of employment.
• construction on this project started May 6, 2020

Additional Resources:

Additional project information: https://novascotia.ca/tran/highways/highway104-twinning.asp

Dexter Nova Alliance project page: https://hwy104twinning.ca

Department of Public Works on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_PublicWorks