KINGS COUNTY – No more potholes for Highway 1 from Kentville to Greenwich?
It may sound like a pipedream, but this is what a new tender from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal reissued today is promising.
The project, which originally planned to pave Highway 1 from the Town of Kentville line to the Greenwich highway connector, will now extend a further 1.7 kilometres to the Town of Wolfville line.
“Almost everyone in Kings County drives this road every day. We’re all feeling – over the last couple of years especially – the effects of this road coming to the end of its life. It’s a relief we’ve got this section into the paving plan for this year,” said Irving.
Tender for paving contract reissued Apr. 5
The province released its 2018 capital plan earlier this year, which included a commitment to repave Highway 1 from the Town of Kentville line to the Greenwich highway connector.
After consultations between the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and Kings South MLA Keith Irving, the department was persuaded to extend the project to Wolfville.
Government spokesperson Marla MacInnis said the department agreed to reissue a new tender after realizing completing road stretches together proved a more “cost-effective solution.”
- See the tender here: https://novascotia.ca/tenders/tenders/tender-details.aspx?id=WS129406959
Irving says he is very pleased at the province’s decision to increase the project’s scope to include the extra distance, referring to the stretch of road as “an important corridor” used daily by thousands.
“I’m really happy the department was able to accommodate this. It makes sense, given the importance or markets, and the breakdown of the road this year – it needed to be included,” he said.
Less stress on Highway 1 with new interchange
Irving expects work on the paving project to begin any time after mid-spring, and specified that the department allow construction to begin only when the Apple Blossom Festival has wrapped up.
Work will also be completed overnight, to ensure the smallest possible disruption to business.
The reaction has been a positive one, and a sense of relief from people who’ve navigated the road’s notorious potholes is evident, according to the MLA.
And, with engineers involved with the New Minas interchange estimating the new highway access to decrease traffic on the Commercial Street section of Highway 1 by one third, the road will be under less stress even after it’s completed, meaning potholes should stay away for many years to come.
“There’s nothing better than driving on a freshly paved road,” said Irving.
“We’ll have to be patient until the summer, but this road will be smooth and pothole-free once the roadwork is completed.”
