Construction underway for N.S. roundabout connecting to new highway

Pylons line the streets of Akerley Boulevard in Dartmouth, N.S., along with signs of road closures and detours, signaling the start of a new phase of the Highway 107 project.

The highway will connect the Bedford and Sackville communities to Burnside. The intersection in Burnside will make way for a roundabout.

“The roundabout that will be built in the place of the current signalized intersection, and that will allow traffic to carry on through Burnside drive all the way to that new highway,” said Christopher Davis, City of Halifax’s Right of Way Services manager.

The Burnside area is one of the busiest traffic spots in the city and it’s is expected to get even busier.

“We highly encourage people to take alternative route wherever possible. The great part about having a very connected industrial park area is that we do have all kinds of alternative routes for people to take,” said Davis.

A construction sign is pictured. (Hafsa Arif/CTV Atlantic)Some businesses in the area have some concerns, including Robin Knight, owner of Arctic Spa.

The only way to enter Knight’s store is through the road undergoing construction. He is worried people will stop coming in.

“For people that are trying to find out location, they’ll have to take an alternate route but hopefully people will still want to come and visit our store,” said Knight.

He calls it a short-term pain for a long-term outcome that will help improve traffic and access in the area.

“It will be better flow for traffic from Sackville. Magazine Hill won’t be nearly as congested. It will improve additional traffic into Burnside so more traffic that drives by our business always better,” he said.

The city anticipates this closure will go until June and it will circle back on any extensions that month.

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