Road Conditions Vary After Mild Winter

Unseasonably warm weather conditions this winter have kept the Department of Transportation and Public Works on alert for road maintenance problems this spring.

"Nova Scotia's variable climate and wide variety of soil types provide a unique challenge to those of us charged with maintaining the province's roads," said Doug Stewart, chief engineer for the Department of Transportation and Public Works. "The freeze/thaw cycles and high amounts of moisture in the spring make it difficult to keep roads in top shape."

An early thaw gave spring-like conditions as early as mid-January in some parts of the province, leaving many gravel roads saturated and in a weakened condition.

Department staff responded quickly by posting weight limitations, closing selected roads to heavy trucks, and by carrying out temporary, repairs.

One advantage of the mild weather is that the department has been able to get graders on gravel roads much earlier than usual. In the department's central district (Hants County and the rural areas of the Halifax Regional Municipality) most gravel roads have already been graded or will be within the next week.

The department's other districts report similar success. Grading on roads in the Annapolis Valley is well ahead of normal and work in Kings County also got an early start. In the northern district (Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou counties) light grading is occurring to fill in potholes and full grading will take place later after the roads dry out. In Antigonish, Guysborough, and Cape Breton island most gravel roads are reported to be much drier than in previous years.

Roads around the province in shaded areas or with poor drainage may have to wait for grading, while roads in drier areas have reached the point that the department is getting calls about the need for dust control.

On paved roads the department is using cold mix, a temporary patch, for quick, short-term repairs to potholes. "Our objective is to correct the most severe potholes quickly as they pose the greatest risk to the traveling public," said Peter Merritt, central district director with Transportation and Public Works .

More permanent repairs are scheduled to begin in May when hot mix asphalt becomes available from suppliers.

Motorists are asked to drive with caution and call the local office of the Department of Transportation and Public Works at 1-888-432-3233 to report potholes and other problems on the roads.

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 four district offices located in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney.