Nova Scotia·NewThe Nova Scotia government has issued a tender for work that would consider how to improve the flow of traffic along one of the busiest stretches of road in the province.Work will look at about 20 kilometres stretching from Halifax peninsula to exit 4CMichael Gorman · CBC News · Posted: Oct 31, 2025 2:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe interchange connecting Highway 101 with Highway 102 is one of the areas the study is to assess. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)The Nova Scotia government has issued a tender for work that would consider how to improve the flow of traffic along one of the busiest stretches of road in the province.The work will examine an approximately 20-kilometre stretch of Highway 102 from Romans Avenue at Bayers Road where the highway meets the Halifax peninsula, to just north of the Highway 107 interchange at exit 4C.Known as a transportation needs assessment and functional design, the work is part of the efforts by provincial agency Link Nova Scotia to examine transportation options throughout the province.“Some segments of Highway 102 carry over 60,000 vehicles per day, serving high-growth suburban communities such as Bedford, Fall River, and Hammonds Plains,” the tender document says.“Continued population growth, development, and evolving travel demands — much of which has exceeded earlier forecasts — have placed increasing strain on the corridor, resulting in capacity constraints, operational inefficiencies, and growing safety concerns.”Without strategic investment, continued strain on the corridor may limit the region’s ability to accommodate future development and achieve planned growth targets.”The design work will include safety upgrades to the interchanges that connect Highway 102 with Highway 101 at exits 4A and 4B, the connection with Highway 107 at exit 4C, the connection with Hammonds Plains Road at exit 3, and the Kearney Lake Road connection at exit 2.The work, which is supposed to take 12 months, will also review ways to enhance freeway capacity and support “multi-modal integration and connectivity across the corridor.” That could include rapid transit and/or carpool lanes, but it’s also supposed to include any early results from a separate passenger rail feasibility study.“The consultant is expected to take a future-ready approach to corridor planning and concept development, ensuring that freeway and interchange designs do not preclude the potential integration of passenger rail infrastructure, and that space can be reasonably preserved or acquired to accommodate this possibility, subject to feasibility and future decisions,” the document reads.Planning for major population growthThe study must also account for the potential impact of development in the special planning areas of Sandy Lake, Paper Mill Lake, the Highway 102 west corridor lands, and the Bedford Common area.Prospective bidders are told that their submissions must be able to support a regional population projected to be approximately 1 million people by 2050.Qualified firms have until Nov. 26 to submit a bid on the work. Public feedback opportunities are expected to happen in 2026.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORMichael Gorman covers the Nova Scotia legislature for CBC, with additional focuses on health care and rural communities. Contact him with story ideas at michael.gorman@cbc.ca
Tender issued for Highway 102 redesign work
