Highway Twinning Public Consultations
The provincial government maintains 23,000 kilometres of roads and highways, and 4,100 bridges. The 100 series highways are the backbone of the provincial road network and economy, playing a key role in business, tourism, and our everyday travel.
After hearing from Nova Scotians during province-wide twinning consultations, government is investing an additional $390 million in capital funding over seven years to improve highways without the use of tolls.
The additional $390 million will allow the province to add three sections of twinned 100-series highways to the existing highway plan. It also allows the province to build the Burnside Connector. All four projects will be complete within seven years.
The four projects are:
- Highway 101, Three Mile Plains to Falmouth, including the Windsor Causeway, 9.5 kilometres
- Highway 103, Tantallon to Hubbards, 22 kilometres
- Highway 104, Sutherlands River to Antigonish, including Barneys River, 38 kilometres
- construction of the four-lane, divided Burnside Connector (Highway 107) between Burnside to Bedford, 8.7 kilometres.
Sections of the highways will open as they are completed.
The funding also includes $30 million in safety improvements on un-twinned highway sections, including a safety study on Highway 107 from Burnside to Musquodoboit.
The following documents present participant feedback from the 14 public, and one stakeholder, consultation sessions held across the province from Jan. 30 to March 9, from each session. A summary report of this feedback is also included
- What We Heard Document Industry Organization Stakeholders Halifax (PDF 48 KB)
- NS HighwayTwinning Consultations Report (PDF 891 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Antigonish (PDF 158 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Bridgewater (PDF 300 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Chester (PDF 248 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Dartmouth (PDF 104 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Digby (PDF 92 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Halifax (PDF 96 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Kentville (PDF 179 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Lake Echo-Porters Lake Area (PDF 218 KB)
- What We Heard Document - New Glasgow (PDF 248 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Port Hawkesbury (PDF 145 KB)
- What We Heard Document - River Bourgeois (PDF 113 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Shelburne (PDF 146 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Sydney (PDF 123 KB)
- What We Heard Document - Windsor (PDF 144 KB)
Public Consultation
About the feasibility study
In response to many requests from the public to improve highway safety, the province commissioned a highway twinning feasibility study.
Twinning the eight sections included in this study would cost more than $2 billion. Given that cost, we’re studying the feasibility of tolling as an option to allow twinning to take place sooner.
The report represents a detailed screening/assessment that estimates the costs and the toll revenue generation potential for each section of highway studied and ranks them on the following criteria:
- Safety - collision reductions
- Traffic volume thresholds
- Cost versus revenue (financial viability)
- Travel time and travel costs savings
- Environmental impacts
- Land acquisition requirements
Investment
Over the past 2 years, the province has invested over $455 million dollars in highway infrastructure.
Budget
The total highway capital, budget for 2016-17 is $220 million. Of that $70 million is for major construction of new highways and bridges.
Alternative funding
Through alternative funding over the next ten years all 300km outlined in the plan could be completed
Cobequid Pass
Cobequid Pass 45 km of highway was twinned in less than 2 years through Province/Federal cost-sharing and paid back through tolls. All maintenance, including repairs and winter clearing, is also covered by the revenue from tolls.
Gas tax
Every dollar from the gas tax and RWV fees goes back into provincial roads. Over the past 3 years, government has invested $294 million above and beyond what was collected.