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.