Windsor Street Exchange project balloons to $150M, Halifax councillors unsure about results

Halifax council will see a new report on the Windsor exchange this week.

For people who frequently use the Windsor Street Exchange in Halifax, it can be a headache – particularly during rush hour.

“I hate it, I’m stuck here for hours some days,” says Jordan MacDonald, who was travelling through the intersection Monday. “They’ve got to do something to make it better for everybody because sometimes the traffic goes way past Bayview [Road].”

In fact, a redevelopment of the area has been in the works for years.

The federal government announced $23 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund in 2019, as part of the planned $47 million project.

That cost had more than doubled in June 2024, when staff detailed how the work would cost $103 million.

About seven months later, after staff were asked to incorporate transit lanes, the estimated cost skyrocketed to $150 million.

“It’s a little bit shocking, especially when you look at the price tag,” says Shawn Cleary, councillor for District 9.

“It’s outrageous, to be honest with you,” says Virginia Hinch, District 8 councillor.

A transit lane has been added, along with “transit priority” signals at three intersections up to and including the Windsor Street Exchange.

Part of the 2024 plan, prior to the transit lane addition, includes a direct connection between the Bedford Highway and Highway 111, allowing motorists going that route to avoid the intersection altogether.

But area councillors aren’t pleased with what they’re seeing ahead of their next council meeting Tuesday.

“I believe there’s more discussion to be had,” Hinch tells CTV News.

She says her hopeful outcome is for a safe area for all, especially pedestrians.

Kathryn Morse, whose District 10 also encompasses part of the intersection, calls the staff report “a bit disappointing.”

“I think staff may have been working to try to keep costs to a minimum, but I’m not sure we’ve arrived at the right plan that will get enough people through this intersection safely on transit and as pedestrians and cyclists,” she tells CTV News. “It still has to be debated, but I’m getting the sense that many of my colleagues feel disappointed as well, that this isn’t going to meet our needs going forward. It’s not going to make transit attractive enough to get more people on transit. It won’t improve the service enough to justify the cost.”

With upwards of 110,000 vehicles travelling through the project area daily, councillors say they need to get it right, even if that means potentially forgoing a combined $34 million from the federal and provincial governments.

“If we can’t move our buses through there as fast or faster than just car traffic, then there’s no point in really doing it,” says Cleary.

He says he’d hope for dedicated bike lanes as well, rather than a multi-use path.

Construction was previously expected to start this year, but timeline implications aren’t clear if councillors vote against the latest addition to the plan.

CTV News asked for an interview with Mayor Andy Fillmore and city staff Monday. Both declined to comment until after Tuesday’s council discussion.

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