N.S. requests proposals for Highway 102 improvement project

The approach to Highway 102 from Highway 103 is pictured in the Halifax area. (Province of Nova Scotia/File)

The province of Nova Scotia says it has issued a request for proposals as part of an upcoming highway improvement project in the Halifax area.

The request was made Friday for a consultant to identify future corridors and produce preliminary design work for Highway 102 between Exits 0 and 4.

The designs will also include upgrades to interchanges connecting the highway with Highway 101, Highway 107, Hammonds Plains Road and Kearney Lake Road.

The province is also looking for improvements for the 20 kilometres of highway, which stretches between Highway 107 and Bayers Road, that focus on safety and efficiency.

“This segment of the 102 is used by 60,000 people daily, and it’s an important part of the province’s goods movement network,” said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley in a provincial news release.

“The Highway 102 improvement project has the potential to be one of the most significant transportation projects in Nova Scotia’s history and could support economic growth and housing development for the next 20 years.”

The province says it also wants to create areas along the corridor for more than 25,000 housing units over the next few decades.

Early planning work on the project has already begun, including the collection of traffic data, environmental screening, archaeological investigations, 3D modeling and more.

Qualified firms have until Nov. 26 to submit proposals.

The province says there will be opportunities for people to provide feedback in the new year.

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