N.S. Public Works looking to spend roughly $500M on roadwork in 2024-25

The Houston government is planning to spend slightly more than this past year on Public Works roadwork in 2024-25.

All told, the province's new five-year highway improvement plan adds up to about $500 million in construction or repairs next year.

"We know there is a lot of work still to be done but we're up for the challenge and we look forward to building a better Nova Scotia," Public Works Minister Kim Masland said Thursday during a news conference to release the plan.

The province will spend $205 million on major projects and another $295 million on routine maintenance including:

• $161 million on asphalt and resurfacing.
• $55 million on gravel roads.
• $60 million on bridge repairs and replacements.
• $7 million on land purchases.
• $7 million on equipment, machinery and ferries.
• $5 million on highway design and surveys.

This past year the province had budgeted about $450 million for similar work, although storm damage forced the department to redeploy equipment to complete repairs on highways and roads.

"We did dedicate a lot of the contractors' resources to the storm damage," said Don Maillet, executive director of highway planning, design and construction for the Department of Public Works. "So that impacted some of the capital work as well."

Maillet said that held back work, particularly improvements to Highway 103 which runs along the South Shore from Halifax to Yarmouth, and also Highway 107, known as the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector, which is due to open next August.

"Some of the subgrade work got delayed because of this," said Maillett. "Some of the paving work got delayed because of the patching requirements."

New ferry to Tancook Islands coming

Those who use the ferry from Chester to the Big and Little Tancook Islands may be happy to know work will begin next year on bringing a new, larger, vehicle ferry into operation between Blandford and the islands.

"Construction will also begin in the coming year on the infrastructure for the Tancook ferry, which involves upgrading the wharf and road required to support the new car ferry," Masland told reporters in Halifax.

The minister also defended a decision her department announced Wednesday to allow snowmobile riders to use sections of the road or shoulders in Inverness County and in the town of New Germany.

The pilot project will determine whether allowing snowmobiles to share the road with other vehicles is safe in these three specific areas of rural Nova Scotia. According to the trail map posted on the Snowmobilers Association of Nova Scotia web page, two of those road sections are part of the association's groomed trail network.

Masland said the government was "not rewarding bad behaviour" by granting permission to riders already using roadways where they were prohibited.

Instead the minister said the department was "just making sure that safety is top priority."

According to a new release from the department issued Wednesday, "The pilot will help determine whether snowmobiles should be added to the Road Trails Act, which has allowed other off-highway vehicles permanent road access at approved locations since late September, following a similar pilot."

The pilot project for snowmobiles begins Friday, and runs to March 31. 

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