Two-year highway construction project in Truro winding down

A construction project on a section of Highway 102 in Truro, N.S., is nearing its end after two years of long lines and reduced lanes.

Construction on the Salmon River Bridge was needed to reinforce the structure. Weather caused delays to the project last year, however a favourable summer allowed crews to catch up.

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"I would say it's around 50,000 cars a day," says Chris Verge, area manager for Nova Scotia Department of Public Works.

“Substructure repair and superstructure repair, so there’s bearings, pier repairs, structural steel repairs and then there’s deck and joists and the bridge rail was also replaced."

The highway is reduced to one lane to allow work to safely continue. However, depending on the day of the week, traffic can be lined up for kilometres.

“The back up on that whole project goes all the way up to Millbrook some days and passed. Especially on holiday weekends,” says Truro Mayor Bill Mills.

To avoid the slow down, Mills says some drivers detour through the town, increasing traffic by as much as 50 per cent.

A sign warning of construction on Highway 102 in Truro, N.S., is pictured. (CTV Atlantic/Jonathan MacInnis)

Truro resident Donna Singer agrees, especially with the town of Truro undertaking their own road repair projects.

“There’s such a back up of traffic. Truro isn’t really cut out for a lot of different directions, so it gets backed up quite a bit on the main street,” Singer says.

The Salmon River Bridge sits between exits 14 and 14A on Highway 102. Chris Verge says the repairs can't be done during the winter months, so the two-year estimate is reasonable.

After a break, work on the Salmon River Bridge resumed Sept. 3 and is expected to last for seven weeks.

The province is asking everyone to exercise caution and patience when driving through the area.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.