Hwy. 101 twinning being put on hold

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HALIFAX, N.S. – Nova Scotia Transportation Minister Ron Russell said he is scrapping plans to extend Hwy. 101.

“The province still plans to twin the highway when the money is available,” he stated in a release. “But right now the province is trying to put its financial house in order and there is no way to afford such a major project.”

Instead, the government will contract a consultant to find ways to improve safety on the 101, short of twinning the route. Fifty people have died on the highway in the past seven years, many in head-on collisions.

The study is due in July and will examine the 145-km stretch between Mount Uniacke and Bridgetown. Transportation Department spokesman Hugh Fraser estimated the report will cost $30,000.

In his release, Russell blamed the federal Liberals for providing a stingy infrastructure program in their new budget.

Nova Scotia expects to get about $4 million a year for highways through the program, enough for only four kilometres of new highway.

“The federal budget was a grave disappointment,” Russell said. n

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