New freeway between Lower Sackville and Dartmouth, N.S., delayed again

The multi-million-dollar highway connector between Lower Sackville and Dartmouth has been delayed again.

The freeway was originally scheduled to be completed by fall of 2023 but was pushed to fall of 2024. The province says the project will be finished later this year, but it hasn't provided a completion date.

Councillor Paul Russel explained the importance of the project for the communities that will be connected by it.

“I think we will see some traffic patterns change,” said Russel. “I don’t think we will see it diminish. I think we will only see the population and traffic increase. But it will be at least another way out in case of an emergency or in case something critical happens, or just easing the traffic flow.”

Currently, the main link between Lower Sackville and Dartmouth is Magazine Hill. The Burnside connector will be a nine kilometre four-lane highway that provides an alternate route to relieve traffic.

The heavy equipment employed in the freeway project adds to the congestion. Robin Knight, the owner of Arctic Spas in Halifax said that the construction hasn’t had a huge impact on business. He said customers take alternate routes to get to his store.

“It wasn’t the best timing wise because this is a busy time of year for us,” said Knight. “But all in all, I don’t think it has had a major impact on business, but probably a light impact I would say,”

The province said weather, relocation of utilities and black ash trees were factors that delayed the connector’s completion.

“This project has been in the world for 25 or 30 years,” Russel said. “We finally started seeing construction a few years ago and that’s great. We noticed it coming out of Burnside and its finally connected to Sackville.”

“It will bring more people through the Burnside area which I think will be positive for our business,” said Knight.

The estimated cost for the connector was $210 million but the province said an updated figure will be released when the work is complete.

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