- 103 HWY Opening
By Andrew Macdonald
In this edition of The Macdonald Notebook we do a journalism deep dive on the opening of the 103 HWY.
The 22 km route stretches from Upper Tantallon to Hubbards.
On Friday at a ribbon cutting, it was expected Premier Tim Houston would attend. In the end, he did not appear. No reason was given by Highways Department staff.
Days before the government informed media of the event.
“Premier Tim Houston will celebrate the opening of the newly twinned section of Highway 103 in Hubbards on Friday, July 19,” said a media advisory.
The event took place on a service road off Vinegar Lake Road in Hubbards.
Public Works Minister Kim Masland, Mark Underhill, general manager of highway operations Nova Scotia for contractor Dexter Construction, and Clary Coolen, chief of the Hubbards District Fire Department, attended the event.
NS Highways minister Kim Masland took credit for twinning the 103 HWY. Organizers of the event of a ribbon cutting snubbed former Premier Stephen McNeil, who was not invited. For the record, the 22-km twinning of HWY 103 was a McNeil policy, who actually funded the construction. (NS Gov photo).
Former Liberal premier Stephen McNeil was not invited to attend, even though it was his government that began the twinning and found the money. Former federal minister Scott Brison, who announced $65M from Ottawa to twin the 103 HWY was also not invited.
The new 22-kilometre, four-lane divided highway between Exit 5 at Upper Tantallon and Exit 6 at Hubbards will open to traffic in the coming days.
While Highways Minister Kim Masland has not done any new highway twinning since she became the minister in 2021, she took credit for the existing Liberal government twinning program.
“As a frequent driver of Highway 103, I know just how much of a difference the divided highway has made for those who travel it,” said Masland in a statement.
“I am grateful for the Department staff and private contractors who have worked so hard to get the job done and make people’s lives better,” she added. She drives on the 103 HWY to get home to her Queen’s riding.
If anyone knows how dangerous the 103 HWY is it would be Masland. For the record since 2009, 26 folks have died on undivided deathtrap sections of the 103 HWY.
Masland has no plans to do the right thing and twin all the way to Bridgewater.
Premier Houston said in his second term in office he will twin to East River’s Exit 7, which leads to Chester.
But a Highways department says that that route won’t be completed until 2030 – ten years after the Liberal McNeil government opened Tantallon to Ingramport, phase one of the 103 HWY, which opened in 2020.
The 103 HWY project includes:
a new interchange and connector road in Ingramport (Exit 5A) – opened in January 2017
twinned highway from Exit 5 to Exit 5A – opened in December 2020
twinned highway from Exit 5A to Exit 6 – opening in July 2024.
Final costs are still being calculated, but the project is estimated to cost $117 million.
“Work has started on the next section of Highway 103 to be twinned, from Exit 6 at Hubbards to Exit 7 at East River.” But the Highways department declined to reveal the nature of that work. There are no road beds currently being built on that section, which again won’t open until 2030.
“Dexter Construction is proud to be part of this major twinning work on Highway 103. These jobs have put over 100 of our employees, local sub-contractors and suppliers to work in our communities, while improving the safety and efficiency of our highways. We thank the provincial and federal governments for supporting highway twinning in Nova Scotia,” said Ken MacLean, Vice-President, Dexter Construction Co. Ltd.
“Twinned highways improve safety on our roads and save lives by keeping inbound and outbound traffic further apart. The newly twinned Highway 103 helps reduce congestion and lets us respond to incidents faster,” said Clary Coolen, Fire Chief, Hubbards District Fire Department
Quick Facts:
the project was announced by the Liberal McNeil government and the Scott Brison in 2017
the federal government will contribute 50 per cent of the cost up to $65 million
construction began in 2018
workers have moved nearly 2.5 million cubic metres of earth and put down more than 170,000 tonnes of asphalt
11 new bridges were built
Mark Underhill, General Manager of Highway Operations Nova Scotia for Dexter Construction, speaks at the event. (Communications Nova Scotia)
Fire Chief Clary Coolen of the Hubbards District Fire Department speaks at Friday’s ribbon cutting to mark the twinning of HWY 103. (Communications Nova Scotia)
From left, Fire Chief Clary Coolen of the Hubbards District Fire Department; Danielle Barkhouse, MLA for Chester-St. Margaret’s; Kim Masland, Minister of Public Works; and Mark Underhill, General Manager of Highway Operations Nova Scotia, Dexter Construction (Communications Nova Scotia)
