Skip to main content

Nova Scotia sets road budget for 2019-20 at US$224 million

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia will get US$224 million for road upgrades in 2019-20, a boost of $11.2 million over the current period. Lloyd Hines, the province’s transportation and infrastructure renewal minister, said much of the additional funding will be for twinning portions of the province’s 100 series highways, including the 101, 103, 104 and the 107 Sackville-Burnside connector. The plan includes rebuilding and upgrading gravel roads and around $15 million of the money has been earmarked
December 20, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia will get US$224 million for road upgrades in 2019-20, a boost of $11.2 million over the current period.

Lloyd Hines, the province’s transportation and infrastructure renewal minister, said much of the additional funding will be for twinning portions of the province’s 100 series highways, including the 101, 103, 104 and the 107 Sackville-Burnside connector.

The plan includes rebuilding and upgrading gravel roads and around $15 million of the money has been earmarked for this. However, the highway improvement plan is subject to provincial budget approval next spring.

The $224 million will be made up of federal, provincial and municipal monies.

The 100-series highway are mostly controlled-access expressways, Super-2 roads and divided motorways. freeway. They connect major cities and regions, including Halifax, and Cape Breton Regional Municipality with smaller cities such as Yarmouth, Truro, New Glasgow and Amherst, as well as the neighbouring province of New Brunswick.

A Super-2 road refers to a two-lane highway that has partial control of access, occasional passing lanes and hard shoulders. It is often built for eventual conversion to motorway status if traffic volumes rise.

The upcoming work is part of the province’s five-year strategic Highway Improvement Plan published in 2017. It covers work to be done along the province’s 23,000km of roads and highways as well as the 4,100 bridges between this year and 2023.

According to the five-year plan, unlike many other provinces, Nova Scotia is responsible for maintaining the majority of all public roads in the province – 90% in this case. “The cost per kilometre is over CAN$300,000 (US$224,000) to repave, CAN$500,000-750,000  (US$373,000-560,000) more to upgrade a trunk highway…,” notes the document.

“Pavement Preservation is cost effective. Spending CAN$1 on pavement preservation before a paved road is 15 years old can eliminate or delay having to spend CAN$6-14 on rehabilitation or reconstruction when the pavement surface has failed.”

Related Content

  • Asphalt paving innovation from Aggregate Industries
    October 20, 2017
    The firm developed this new surface course in a bid to match increasing traffic volumes on the UK’s road network. According to Aggregate Industries, this material can speed up road surfacing by more than 40%. There is a major need to repave many UK roads, with the country’s vehicle population having increased by 10 million in the last 10 years. This has triggered an increased need for infrastructure maintenance. But the time needed to carry out road repairs can cause major problems for motorists.
  • Sandvik’s DT1131i jumbo and iSURE software in Iceland and Norway
    August 14, 2019
    Sandvik’s DT1131i three-boom, electro-hydraulic jumbo, iSURE tunnel management software and the latest drill bit hardware were recently put to the test in Iceland and Norway* Czech contractor Metrostav recently achieved 105m of tunnel excavation in a record-breaking six days. But it will be consistent performance and progress that will see Iceland’s Dyrafjordurgong Tunnel in the remote Westfjords region open on time and on budget. The 5.3km Dyrafjordurgong Tunnel is costing around €69 million and due
  • LiuGong invests hard to be seen as made, tested and supported in Europe
    January 26, 2018
    LiuGong is investing hard in Europe, determined to be seen as a global player whose products are “made in Europe, tested in Europe and supported in Europe.” Along with new European headquarters based in Warsaw, LiuGong is also opening up a new European production line and a new continent-wide parts distribution centre at its Dressta manufacturing centre in Stalowa Wola. Geoff Hadwick reports
  • Highway 407 Revisited – smart tollroad extension
    June 7, 2016
    In the late 1990s, World Highways published a supplement on construction of Canada’s Highway 407, the world’s first all-electronic toll road. But how successful has it been? David Arminas reports from Toronto The head office for 407 ETR Concession Company is a low-rise building next to exit 59, just north of Toronto, Canada’s economic powerhouse. The building may be non-descript but inside is the advanced technical heart of Highway 407 ETR – Express Toll Route. It houses the latest toll monitoring techno