Cash for highway twinning

Federal, provincial governments commit $34.5 million each for Highway 101 work

Representatives from the provincial and federal government announced new joint funding for the Highway 101 twinning project of up to $69 million in Windsor on Jan. 15.

The governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are each contributing $34.5 million toward twinning Three Mile Plains to Falmouth through the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial Territorial Infrastructure Component – National Regional Projects program.

The Province of Nova Scotia will handle the remaining funds necessary to pay for the project, estimated to total approximately $90 million.

The project involves twinning approximately 9.5 kilometres of highway between Exit 5, Three Mile Plains to west of Exit 7, between Falmouth and Hantsport.

Several structures, including new on-ramps and bridges, are included in that cost, which, when completed, would mean a total of 70 kilometres of twinned highway from Halifax to Hortonville in Kings County.

Causeway and aboiteau left out

What’s not included in the funding announced is the upgraded causeway and aboiteau, between the Avon River and Lake Pisiquid in Windsor, which is still in the design phase, officials said.

The funding for that phase of the project is expected at a later date.

Kings-Hants MP Scott Brison said he was happy to make the announcement, saying it would enhance safety and create jobs for the region.