CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.S. – The province of Nova Scotia is adding another highway rest area to its road network – a move that is expected to improve driver safety.

The province’s second rest area is planned for Exit 7 on Highway 104 near Thomson Station, Cumberland County.

The first opened in Pictou County last October.

Ralph Boyd, president of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, says truckers want and need more rest areas along highways.

“Truckers wanted a rest area near Thomson Station to replace the closed Lady Wentworth which was a favorite stop for the industry over the last number of years when the old Folly Lake routing was available,” says Boyd.

“Weather conditions from time to time in the Cobequid Pass do require well-placed rest facilities at either end of the toll highway and this new rest stop will be well utilized by the trucking industry and the public travelling the corridor between Moncton and Halifax.”

Michael Baker, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, says the two sites are part of a pilot project and the province will review the sites to determine their effectiveness.