Highway 103 Work Moves Forward

The province is moving ahead with its plans to twin Highway 103. A consultant is studying the interchange at Exit 5 and Route 213 and a tender is being called for land clearing from Otter Lake to Tantallon.

"It's good to see this important project move forward," said Michael Baker, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "We've made roads a priority in the last three years, and we'll continue to do that in the future."

The province is spending $16 million to twin Highway 103 from Otter Lake (Exit 3) to Upper Tantallon (Exit 5), about 15 kilometres.

The Exit 5 interchange at Route 213 will need to be modified for a four-lane highway. A consultant has been hired to determine what interchange modifications are needed to ensure efficient traffic flow in the near- and long-term. The study is expected to be finished in February.

A tender to clear highway right-of-way from Exit 3 to Exit 5 was advertised on Jan. 8 and is expected to close on Jan. 23.

The department's highways division manages more than 23,000 kilometres of roads in Nova Scotia. It maintains an inventory of 3,800 bridges and operates seven provincial ferries. District offices are located in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney. In the current fiscal year, the department is spending about $91 million in capital investments on our roads and bridges.