Budget Bulletin: Investing In Our Roads and Bridges

Once again, the province is increasing its capital expenditures on roads and bridges with a $112 million investment in the safety and prosperity of Nova Scotians, an increase of $6 million over the previous fiscal year's estimate.

These capital expenditures will be invested across the province, with significant dollars spent on Highway 103 twinning and upgrading, as well as preparatory work on the continued twinning of Highway 101 and Highway 104.

On Highway 125, the province expects to continue with twinning efforts and this year plans to widen the Sydney River bridge and replace the Coxheath Road overpass.

Trunk 7 will continue to be upgraded and repaved as part of a five-year, $17 million program.

Nova Scotians will also continue to see old steel truss bridges replaced with modern structures as part of a five-year $50 million bridge replacement program. Last year, the department completed reconstruction of the Seal Island and Margaree Harbour bridges. Work on 10 more bridges across the province was announced last fall.

More money for capital work is only part of the province's increased funding for the 4Rs: resurfacing, restoration, rehabilitation and reconstruction. More money will be spent on local road maintenance under the Road Improvement Money Program. A total of $12.5 million will be invested in local roads across the province, an increase of $2.5 million. This will result in improved road shoulders and ditches, as well as asphalt patching and gravel upgrading.

Overall, provincial spending on roads and bridges will exceed the dollars collected in provincial motive fuel taxes. The province will spend about $260 million on our roads and bridges this year and collect about $254 million in provincial motive fuel taxes.

The province will continue to lobby the federal government for stable long-term funding to support highway construction in Nova Scotia. The federal government collects about $140 million a year in motive fuel taxes in Nova Scotia and, over the last five years, returned less than $5.5 million a year to maintain our roads and bridges. The federal reinvestment in our roads works out to less than four per cent a year.

A strong transportation network is one of the keys to economic and social prosperity and the province's investments in road and bridge work helps build a strong, proud and safe Nova Scotia.

NOTE: For further 2004-05 budget information, see the Department of Finance website at www.gov.ns.ca/finance .