Three Road Improvement Contracts Awarded in Cape Breton

The province has awarded three separate contracts worth more than $2.4 million for road improvements in Richmond and Inverness counties.

The work, at six locations in Richmond County and three in Inverness County, involves contracts for repaving, patching, and bridge refurbishment.

The first contract is for repaving on the following sections in Richmond County: Lower Road, Arichat, from Babins Hill for 6.6 kilometres to the Petit-de-Grat intersection; short sections of the following streets in Arichat -- Burrells Lane, Benets Lane, Upton Lane, Connies Lane, and Godfreys Lane for a total of 0.6 kilometres; and Service Road, Cleveland from Evanston Road for one kilometre to the second entrance to the Strait Richmond Hospital. The winning contractor was Dexter Construction Co. Ltd. with a bid of $1,662,041.

Also awarded was a contract for bridge refurbishment at the Sporting Mountain Road overpass at Exit 47 of Highway 104 in Richmond County and at the following locations on Highway 105 in Inverness County: the Glendale Bridge, 2.4 kilometres east of Exit 2, the Victoria Bridge, 0.3 kilometres west of Exit 2, and on the Rough Brook Bridge, 3.5 kilometres west of Exit 2. The winning contractor was Allcrete Restoration with a bid of $476,217.

The third contract is for patching, crack filling and sealing on Highway 104 in Richmond County from west of the Inverness-Richmond County line east for about 5.1 kilometres toward St. Peter's Junction as well as on the Route 320 overpass. The winning contractor was Industrial Cold Milling Limited with a bid of $275,600.

"The Department of Transportation and Public Works is working hard to get our roads in top condition," said Michael Baker, acting Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "This year the department is spending $143 million in road construction."

The Department of Transportation and Public Works' highways division manages more than 23,000 kilometres of roads in Nova Scotia. It maintains 4,100 bridges and operates seven provincial ferries. Staff provide services from offices in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney.