N.S. releases five-year highway improvement plan

Nova Scotia released its five-year highway improvement plan Thursday afternoon, outlining projects coming up in the next fiscal year.

The province says it will spend more than $500 million in 2024-2025 on highway and road projects, repaving, bridge replacements, maintenance, and other infrastructure work.

Construction will continue on projects already underway, including:

• Highway 101 from Three Mile Plains to Falmouth
• The Highway 102 Aerotech Connector
• Highway 103 from Tantallon to Hubbards
• The Bridgewater Interchange
• The Highway 107 Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector

The new work includes an increase of $15 million for gravel road upgrades, which the province says accounts for 35 per cent of the provincial road network. The province also says the budget has been increased to rehabilitate paved roads.

Construction is said to begin soon on the Tancook Ferry infrastructure project, which is expected to be completed by 2026-2027.

The province says planning and preliminary design work has started on six previously announced major construction projects:

• Highway 103 Argyle Interchange (Exit 32 and 32A)
• Highway 103 Exit 6 to Exit 7 twinning
• Highway 103 Exit 7 to 8 twinning,
• Highway 104 Taylors Road to Paqtnkek twinning
• Highway 107 Burnside to west of Loon Lake twinning

According to the plan, access to 100-series highways that are not twinned will be improved though work on intersections, ramps, passing panes, turning lanes, and roundabouts.

"We're continuing to make significant investments in our province's transportation infrastructure," said Kim Masland, minister of public works, in a Thursday news release. "These investments will continue to make our highways, roads and bridges safer for Nova Scotians and improve trade routes."

Nova Scotia has 23,000 kilometres of roads and highways and 4,100 bridges, according to the province.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.