Province Moves to Improve the 101

The Department of Transportation and Public Works is moving ahead with plans to make Highway 101 safer and is asking a consultant to find measures to improve the road until it can be twinned.

"Improving the safety of Highway 101 is my top priority," said Ron Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "This project will provide us with the ideas and solutions to do just that. This is a busy highway that is important to thousands of Nova Scotians, businesses and tourists. "

The province has put out a tender for an operational and safety review for a 145-kilometre stretch from Mount Uniacke to Bridgetown.

Mr. Russell said the province still plans to twin the highway when the money is available. The Department of Transportation and Public Works is already surveying for the first phase of the divided highway and an environmental screening project is underway.

But right now the province is trying to put its financial house in order and there is no way to afford such a major project. Last week's federal budget offered little help. Ottawa has earmarked an average of $4 million per year over the next several years for Nova Scotia's highways. It costs about $1 million to build a kilometre of new highway.

"The federal budget was a grave disappointment," said Mr. Russell. "But in the meantime, we simply can't sit and wait. We have to find ways to make Highway 101 safer. We will be getting ideas from the public, from highway experts and the police."

The deadline for submitting bids is March 24. The consultant will study traffic patterns and accident figures and meet with police, highway experts and community groups. The goal is to recommend short- and medium-term strategies to make travel safer. Suggestions might include anything from new passing lanes to different policing strategies.

The consultant will report to representatives of the RCMP, the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Department of Justice. The report should be ready in July.