Twinned Section of Highway 101 Ready to Open

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS -Twinned Section of Highway 101 Ready to Open

Motorists on Highway 101 in Hants County will have 11 kilometres of new twinned concrete pavement to travel on today, Oct. 2.

Two new lanes of concrete roadway between Stillwater and Ellershouse will be open to traffic by 6 p.m. -- at reduced speed.

"The end is in sight for this phase of twinning on Highway 101," said Ron Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "Once completed, we're going to have a first-class section of road, with better safety and improved travel for motorists and their families."

The province opened 10 kilometres of the twinned road from Stillwater to Mount Uniacke on Sept. 22. Construction on both new sections is ongoing and the speed limit will remain at 80 km/h until construction is completed in about three weeks. Motorists are asked to use caution.

Mr. Russell thanked highway construction workers, support staff, and the public for their hard work and patience.

"Twinning 21 kilomteres of the highway in just over two construction seasons is a great success story for Nova Scotians," said Mr. Russell. "A lot of hard work has gone into this twinning project and it's been worth it."

An official opening of the twinned highway will take place later this fall.

The Department of Transportation and Public Works 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. Staff provide services from district offices located in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney.