'There's a lot less traffic': Long-awaited Halifax-area highway provides relief to motorists

There's still some work to be done but the main parts of the Nova Scotia Highway 107 – named the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector – are open.

“It’s easier getting around, there's a lot less traffic. The 107 is good, nice route. No bumps,” says Ron Blazenko, who completed a quick run to Costco along the new route.

The $250-million dollar, nine-kilometre stretch of highway was first announced back in 2017 and work began two years later.

Forty thousand vehicles travel along Magazine Hill daily, which up until a couple weeks ago was the main connection between Lower Sackville and Bedford to Dartmouth.

That traffic burden is now shared with Highway 107. With the route open, some shops are expecting a jump in business.

“Especially us being right on the Burnside Drive. We do have a lot of people going by on a daily basis so more cars in front of us, it's better for business for sure,” says store manager Pierre Almeida. “It helps us with the Magazine Hill, avoiding that. And then we actually used it the other day to go to Larry Uteck because the bridge was backed up.

“That area is growing really fast, Mount Uniacke, Sackville area, we're doing a lot of business out there so we are going out there on a regular basis.”

The link with its new roundabouts and exits will take some time to get used to.

“It was nice. It was relatively easy to navigate as somebody who makes a lot of driving mistakes. It was pretty easy with my GPS to come back around,” says motorist Amber Moon.

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