RC110 JanFeb 2024 - Magazine - Page 15
NOVA SCOTIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The Highway 104 Twinning was delivered using a P3
(public-private partnership) model; Dexter Nova Alliance
(DNA) is the consortium that the Nova Scotia Department
of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (the former
name of the Public Works department) chose following a
Request for Quotation and Request for Proposal.
Included in the DNA-led consortium were Dexter Construction Company Limited, Nova Construction, BBGI Global Infrastructure and Municipal Enterprises Ltd. Beyond
the twinning work now completed, as part of the contract,
DNA is responsible for the operation and maintenance of an
additional 25 kilometres of existing highway over a 22-year
period. Having a pair of local companies as part of the consortium (Dexter Construction and Nova Construction) and
sharing duties also helped pave the way to a successful 昀椀nish. Despite normally being competitors, on this project they
showed that when you have a common goal for the greater
good rivals can work together e昀케ciently and e昀昀ectively.
As the project neared completion late last summer, Ken
MacLean, chair, Dexter Nova Alliance GP, shared his joy at
this project’s success.
“We are proud to work on a project of this magnitude
that has provided employment to so many locals,” said
MacLean. “This highway was built for Nova Scotians by
Nova Scotians. Thanks to our local workforce and many
companies and suppliers, together, they worked tirelessly
for three years to bring this project to completion on time
and on budget.”
Safety first
From the ceremonial 昀椀rst shovel in the ground to the
o昀케cial opening, safety was the No. 1 concern for everyone
involved and is what drove this project. Since 2009, there
have been 391 collisions, including 19 fatalities and 14 fatal
collisions in the previously untwinned portion of the highway. Every day, thousands of Nova Scotians use the 104 to
commute from the South Shore of the province to work in
Halifax. With remote work, changing lifestyles, and many
reassessing their day-to-day quality of life, many have
been attracted by the beauty, natural wonders and lower
cost of living Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces. The
combination of an increased population with more commuter tra昀케c means infrastructure is—and remains—a top
priority for the current government.
“Twinned highways help to keep Nova Scotia drivers
safe,” says Masland. “The 104 was an extremely dangerous section of highway. Every death on a Nova Scotia
highway or road is a tragedy; one death is too many. As
Minister of Public Works, I want to make sure our highways are safe for folks to travel on.”
In the Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan, published in
January 2023, the Public Works department outlines the
importance of infrastructure projects in Nova Scotia. The
document maps out the current government’s approach
to repairing and maintaining the province’s 23,000 km
of roads and highways and 4,100 bridges. According to
this report, the road building industry in Nova Scotia is
big business: creating more than 6,000 direct and 3,000
indirect positions annually. For 2023-2024, the Nova Scotia
government’s total highway capital budget was expected
to approach $500 million.
RENEWCANADA.NET
TWINNING TALES
Moved 5.6 million cubic metres of earth—
enough dirt and rock to fill 2,240 Olympic-sized
swimming pools.
Laid over 320,000 tonnes of asphalt. That’s
roughly the same as more than 150 football
fields.
The project created more than two million
hours of employment, or the same as hiring
300 people full-time for 40 months.
Environmental enhancements include
wildlife corridors, fencing and improved culverts
that restore upstream fish passage.
“We made sure we completed that job,” Masland says.
“And we will keep going. Infrastructure and improving
our highways and byways are a focus of our government,
but we also need to invest in our local roads and routes
that rural Nova Scotians drive every day.”
A highway in harmony
Apart from safety, a concern for the environment—the
wildlife (both aquatic and land) that calls the 38 km stretch
between Sutherland’s River and Antigonish home—and
the established eco-systems in this corridor were paramount. Part of the project team included environmental
experts that implemented an Environmental Management
System that complied with the International Standard for
Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001). “The
wildlife corridors and fencing that were built are incredible,” Masland comments. “Nova Scotia has a large deer
population, especially in that area. That alone saves lives
from people hitting deer and causing accidents.”
Replacing aging infrastructure and removing concrete
culverts in the 昀椀sh-bearing watersheds helped to improve
system connectivity and addressed 昀椀sh populations in the
river systems that 昀氀ow throughout this region. Where necessary, 昀椀sh were rescued and moved to safer waterways
during construction. On land, the aforementioned fencing
was incorporated into the project’s design to make sure
the highway was safer for both drivers and wildlife. And,
prior to any construction starting on this project, wildlife
surveys for species like birds, bats, turtles, and protected
species of trees and lichen were conducted.
Three months following the o昀케cial opening of the
Highway 104 Twinning project Minister Masland still
beams with joy.
“What I’m most proud of is that this is a highway built
for Nova Scotians by Nova Scotians,” she concludes. “I
saw that the day it reopened. You could see the pride on
everyone’s face that was there to celebrate. It takes a village to raise a child; well, this took a very strong partnership to create a twinned highway like they delivered.
“Our government is putting a focus on further twinning,” the minister adds. “We recently announced a further section of twinning on the 104 and we are also doing
twinning on the 103, the highway that I drive every day. I
don’t care what anyone says, twinning saves lives.”
Premier Tim Houston
(centre) speaks at the
Highway 104 twinning
event, July 21, 2023, as
Public Works Minister
Kim Masland, and Sean
Fraser, MP for Central
Nova, look on.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 – RENEW CANADA 15
