PCs announce plans to improve Halifax-area highways

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Houston said if elected, he would improve traffic congestion and public transit around Halifax Regional Municipality at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Expansion is planned for Highway 102, which would see an additional lane added in both directions between Joseph Howe Drive and Glendale Avenue. The project would cover about 20 kilometres of highway.

Houston said they would also continue with the plan to build a connector between Hammonds Plains Road and Highway 101, which they announced on Oct. 24.

Houston said the work being done on these highways is “an $810 million investment in Nova Scotia’s future,” and “the largest investment in time savings for HRM residents.”

The PC government put more than $500 million in 2024 into road, bridge and highway infrastructure and maintenance, and plans to invest $1.3 billion over the next five years, if re-elected, in what Houston called a “historic investment.”

The Joint Regional Transportation Authority (JRTA) is a combined effort between the provincial government and HRM, as well as some external corporations with an interest in traffic flow, such as the Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) and the Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA).

Houston said there have been discussions within the JRTA about improving public transit flow within the city, but didn’t elaborate on specific plans. Houston said expanding roads will help with bus movement around the city, making public transit more reliable.

“We need to talk about how we move these vehicles around.”

He said the focus in future development should be on moving traffic in a “meaningful way.”

“Unless a mode of transportation is convenient for people, they’re very unlikely to use it.”

Houston said his government is planning infrastructure projects for municipalities outside of HRM as well, referring to almost $18 million the province contributed to new buses bought for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s transit agency, and their gravel road reconstruction program as part of their five-year plan.

Houston also talked about the possibility of a light-rail discussion within the JRTA, saying that transit alternatives are important to help the flow of traffic, but did not elaborate.