'Government has not made a decision' on Nova Scotia highway twinning, tolling

Astudy into the feasibility of twinning and tolling on major sections of Nova Scotia highways was released Thursday, but government says it has no immediate plans for implementation.

"I need to be very clear:government has not made a decision to move forward with twinning through tolling," saidTransportation MinisterGeoffMacLellan in a media release.

• Highway twinning plan for 100-series highways to be released soon
• Highway twinning study in N.S. awarded to CBCL Limited

"We now have the data that will provide the foundation for a discussion with Nova Scotians."

Government says it would cost more than $2 billion to build the twinning road infrastructure the public have said they want.

"NovaScotianshave told us they want better, safer highways, but twinned highways are very expensive," saidMacLellan.

CBCL Limited, an engineering and environmental consulting firm, was hired last year to look at twinning and tolling eightsections of major Nova Scotia highways. The study cost about $900,000.

The study looks at the traffic volumes at the eight sections of highway identified by government as options for tolling in order to help pay for twinned highways.

In the feasibility study, CBCL used a benchmark of five to 10 cents per kilometre of tolled highway, but government said those rates are not necessarily what the rate would be if tolled highways were put in place.

The study showed that four of the eight sections identified are considered good candidates for the tolling-twinning combo:

• Highway 101 - Hortonville to Coldbrook 24.7 km.
• Highway 103, from Exit 5 at Tantallon to Exit 12 71 km.
• Highway 104, from Sutherlands River to Antigonish 37.8 km.
• Highway 107, from Porters Lake to Duke Street, Bedford 33 km.

The other fourstretches of the 100-series highways that were studiedare:

• Highway 101 - Three Mile Plains toFalmouth 9.5 km.
• Highway 104 -TaylorsRoad toAuldsCove 38.4 km.
• Highway 104 - Port Hastings to PortHawkesbury 6.75 km.
• Highway 104 - St. Peter's to Sydney 80 km.

Eight years ago Bruce Hetherington lost his son Jamie in a car crash on Highway103 when a car crossed over the centreline.Two other people also lost their lives in the accident.

He's been pushing to have the highway twinned to avoid more deaths.

"If there was a divided highway that wouldn't have happened," he said Thursday.

"The guy might have lost control of his car and he would have ended up smacking his car up a little bit, but he'd still be alive."

Thursday's report is the first phase of theCBCLstudy. A second phase of the report called a detailed feasibility study is still underway andwill refine cost estimates and include input from the public.

MacLellansaid in May government is hoping to start the public consultation process by the end of the summer.