Nova Scotia Highway 104

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Highway 104

Route Transcanadienne (French)
Miners Memorial Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
Highway 104 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
Length319.4 km[1] (198.5 mi)
Existed1964–present
file= Trans-Canada Highway segment
Length274.1 km[1] (170.3 mi)
West endNew Brunswick border
continues as Route 2 (TCH)
Major intersections
East end Hwy 105 (TCH) / Trunk 4 / Trunk 19 at Port Hastings
file= Cape Breton segment
Length37.3 km[1] (23.2 mi)
West end Trunk 4 near Port Hawkesbury
East end Trunk 4 near St. Peter's
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceNova Scotia
Highway system
Hwy 103 Hwy 105 (TCH)

Highway 104 in Nova Scotia, Canada, runs from Fort Lawrence at the New Brunswick border near Amherst to River Tillard near St. Peter's. Except for the portion on Cape Breton Island between Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter's, it forms the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway across the province.[2]

Highway 104 mostly supplants the former route of Trunk 4. In 1970, all sections of Trunk 4 west of New Glasgow were renumbered, although the number was added back in the Mount Thom and Wentworth Valley areas in the 1990s when new alignments of Highway 104 opened to traffic.

The provincial government named the highway the Miners Memorial Highway on 8 September 2008 one month before the 50th anniversary of the Springhill mining disaster of 23 October 1958.[3]

Route description

View of Cobequid Pass, toll section of Highway 104 through Colchester County.
Highway 104 outside Westville, Nova Scotia (Exit 21).

The highway's present alignment measures 319 kilometers (198 mi) long, of which the western 180 km (110 mi) between the inter-provincial border with New Brunswick at Fort Lawrence through to Sutherlands River is a 4-lane divided freeway. The eastern 142 kilometers (88 mi) from Sutherlands River to River Tillard is a mixture of 2-lane controlled access freeway known as a Super 2, uncontrolled access 2-lane highway, and 4-lane divided freeway sections.

Highway 104 is divided into two distinct sections; the Trans-Canada Highway section which runs from the New Brunswick border to Port Hastings, and a smaller section on Cape Breton Island between Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter's.[2]

Trans Canada Highway

From the inter-provincial border at Fort Lawrence, Highway 104 is a 4-lane divided freeway with posted speed limit of 110 kilometers per hour (70 mph) and runs east for 48 kilometers (30 mi) past the towns of Amherst and Oxford to Thomson Station. This section had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2 and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway that opened in 1993. From Thomson Station the highway runs southeast for 45 kilometers (28 mi) to Masstown, this segment is a tolled section known as the Cobequid Pass, which opened on 15 November 1997. From Masstown, the highway runs east and northeast for 14 kilometers (9 mi) to the rural community of Onslow, near Truro, and intersects Highway 102, the main 4-lane divided freeway connecting the Trans-Canada Highway with Halifax and southern Nova Scotia.

Highway 104 continues for 55 kilometers (34 mi), past Westville, to Highway 106, a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway that connects to Prince Edward Island via ferry. The highway continues east for 4 kilometers (2 mi) to Stellarton and New Glasgow, with the highway passing through Sellarton; however, New Glasgow is located just to the north of the highway. The highway continues to Sutherlands River, were it reaches the eastern extent of the end of the 4-lane divided freeway.[2]

East of Sutherlands River, Highway 104 becomes a Super 2 with a posted speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph). The highway runs east for 17 kilometers (11 mi) to Barney's River Station, and was built between 1964 and 1965 as a Super 2 and remains as a controlled access highway with dedicated passing lanes.[4] East of Barney's River Station, the highway runs east for 10 kilometers (6 mi) to James River as a 4-lane divided freeway, which opened to traffic on May 18, 2023.[5] This segment bypasses a 12-kilometer-long (7.5 mi) 2-lane uncontrolled access highway segment, which was formerly part of and is now once again part of Trunk 4.[4] Past James River, the highway continues east for 12 kilometers (7 mi) to Addington Forks as a 4-lane divided freeway[4] where the highway runs east for 11 kilometers (7 mi) to South River Road, along a new alignment of 4-lane divided freeway that opened on September 19, 2012. Prior to this new alignment opening, Highway 104 ran east on the present alignment of Trunk 4 and Post Road in the town of Antigonish and included three intersections controlled by traffic lights. The highway continues from South River Road as a 4-lane divided freeway, which opened October 22, 2016, for 7 kilometers (4 mi) to Dagger Woods.[6] Prior to this new alignment opening, this section was an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4).[2]

From the end of the freeway section at Dagger Woods, the highway runs east for 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) to Pomquet Forks as a Super 2 and remains as a controlled access highway, although there are several at-grade intersections. East of Pomquet Forks, the highway runs east for 3 kilometers (2 mi) to Heatherton as an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4) and speed limit reduces 90 kilometers per hour (55 mph). Past Heatherton, the highway runs east for 29 kilometers (18 mi) to Auld's Cove and speed limit increased back to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph). At Auld's Cove, the highway becomes an uncontrolled access highway with a posted speed limit of 70 kilometers per hour (45 mph) and begins a concurrency with Trunk 4. It crosses the Strait of Canso along the 1.4-kilometer-long (0.9 mi) Canso Causeway to Port Hastings on Cape Breton Island. At Port Hastings, the highway intersects Trunk 4, Trunk 19 and Highway 105 at a roundabout where Highway 105 proceeds east carrying the Trans-Canada Highway designation.[2]

Cape Breton Island

From the roundabout at Port Hastings, there is an 8-kilometer (5 mi) gap in Highway 104 which is connected by Trunk 4, passing the town of Port Hawkesbury. The highway reappears at the Exit 43 interchange for Trunk 4 in Melville, just outside of Port Hawkesbury.[2] A Highway 104 bypass from Port Hastings to Melville has been proposed in the past. Concept designs have shown a new alignment of 4-lane freeway being built around the northwest side of Port Hastings, crossing Highway 105 at a new interchange near an electrical substation. The new alignment of Highway 104 would proceed east and then southeast approximately following a power line corridor to the Exit 43 interchange in Melville.

From Port Hawkesbury, the highway runs east as a controlled access Super 2 for 34 kilometers (21 mi) to its current eastern terminus at an at-grade intersection with Trunk 4 in River Tillard, near St. Peters. An extension of Highway 104 from River Tillard to Sydney River has been proposed in the past. The Nova Scotia provincial government has designated the entire length of Highway 104 from Fort Lawrence to River Tillard as a "strategic highway" to qualify for federal cost-sharing of maintenance and future upgrades. This designation has also been applied to the remaining Trunk 4 corridor in Cape Breton along the south shore of Bras d'Or Lake from St. Peters to Sydney River. It is eventually envisioned that the Trans-Canada Highway will follow the entire length of Highway 104 from Amherst to Sydney River as a 4-lane freeway, upgraded from the existing two-lane freeway and uncontrolled access sections of the highway.[2]

History

Highway 104 was upgraded in various stages as follows:

  • KM 0 to 49, section from the New Brunswick border to Thomson Station had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2 and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway in 1993.
  • KM 49 to 92, section from Thomson Station to Masstown had been built as a 4-lane divided freeway that opened November 15, 1997; tolled section known as Cobequid Pass.
  • KM 92 to 146, section from Masstown to Salt Springs had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2 and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway that opened in the early 1990s.
  • KM 146 to 159, section from Salt Springs to Westville Road was built as a new alignment of 4-lane divided freeway that opened in the late 1990s. Prior to this new alignment opening, Highway 104 ran east on the present alignment of Trunk 4.
  • KM 159 to 166, section from Westville Road to Plymouth had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2 and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway that opened in the early 1990s.
  • KM 166 to 174, section from Plymouth to Pine Tree had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2 and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway that opened in fall 2011.
  • KM 174 to 177, section from Pine Tree to Sutherlands River had been built in the 1960s as an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4) and was upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway that opened in fall 2012.
  • KM 177 to 219, section from Sutherlands River to Addington Forks had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2. It is in the process of being upgraded to a 4-lane divided freeway.
  • KM 219 to 228, section from Addington Forks to South River Road, built in the 2010s as a 4-lane divided freeway that opened September 19, 2012.
  • KM 228 to 235, section from South River Road to Dagger Woods, built in the 2010s as a 4-lane divided freeway that opened October 22, 2016.
  • KM 235 to 236, section from Dagger Woods to Pomquet Forks had been built in the 1960s as a Super 2.
  • KM 236 to 239, section from Pomquet Forks to Heatherton had been built in the 1950s; originally part of Trunk 4.
  • KM 239 to 269, section from Heatherton to Aulds Cove had been built from 1965-1969 as a Super 2.
  • KM 269 to 274, section from Auld's Cove to Port Hastings had been built and upgraded in the 1950s and 1960s, with the Canso Causeway opening in 1955.
  • KM 282 to 319, section from Port Hawkesbury to River Tillard has been built in the 1970s as a Super 2.

Future

The Province of Nova Scotia awarded the P3 contract that will twin a 38-kilometer (24 mi) section of Highway 104 between Sutherlands River and Antigonish to Dexter Nova Alliance.[7] As part the project, there will be 28 kilometers (17 mi) of existing highway upgraded and a 10-kilometer (6 mi) new, realigned section; the bypassed section of Highway 104 between Barney's River Station and Marshy Hope would revert to being part of Trunk 4.[8][9] Construction began in the spring of 2020, with a completion date of no later than the end of 2023.[7]

The province of Nova Scotia has proposed construction of a new 84-kilometre (52 mi) 2 lane arterial from the current end of Highway 104 at St. Peter's to Highway 125 at Sydney.[10] This highway would travel mostly east of the current Trunk 4 and open as a Super 2. It would serve as a bypass of Trunk 4 and likely take designation of the Trans Canada Highway rather than Highway 105. When completed, this would provide nearly continuous controlled access highway across Nova Scotia on the Trans Canada Highway. Construction costs are estimated to be approximately $500 million and tolls have been proposed in the past. This project is currently not on the province's 5-year highway plan.[11]

Exit list

CountyLocationkmmiExitDestinationsNotes
New Brunswick border0.00.0Continues into New Brunswick as Route 2 (TCH) west – Moncton
Missaguash River Bridge crosses the Missaguash River
CumberlandFort Lawrence0.70.431 Trunk 2 east (Laplanche Street) to Trunk 6 – Amherst, Fort LawrenceEastbound signed as Exit 1A
Amherst5.23.23 Trunk 6 east (Victoria Street, Sunrise Trail) – Amherst, Tatamagouche
8.75.44 Trunk 2 (South Albion Street) – Amherst, Springhill, Parrsboro
29.418.35 Hwy 142 south – Springhill, Parrsboro
Oxford39.724.76 Route 321 to Route 204 – Oxford, Pugwash, River Philip
48.530.17 Trunk 4 – Mahoney's Corner, Wentworth, Folly LakeWest end of Cobequid Pass tolled section
59.236.88 To Trunk 4 / Wentworth-Collingwood Road – Westchester Station, Collingwood
Colchester72.645.1Cobequid Pass Toll Plaza
83.351.810 To Trunk 2 / Trunk 4 – Great Village, Bass River, LondonderryEast end of Cobequid Pass tolled section
89.055.311 Trunk 4 to Trunk 2 – Glenholme, Economy, Five Islands, Folly Lake, Wentworth
Masstown92.457.412 Trunk 2 / Trunk 4 – Masstown, Glenholme, Lower Debert
97.660.613Debert, Lower Onslow
Onslow106.366.115 Hwy 102 south – Truro, HalifaxExit 15 on Hwy 102
Valley115.671.817 To Route 311 / Trunk 4 – Bible Hill, Truro, TatamagoucheEastbound exit, westbound entrance
116.272.217 To Route 311 / Trunk 4 – Bible Hill, Truro, TatamagoucheWestbound exit, eastbound entrance
125.578.018Stevens Cross Road – Kemptown, Riversdale
Pictou132.782.518A Trunk 4 – Mount Thom
Salt Springs146.390.919 To Trunk 4 / Route 376 – Salt Springs, Central West River, Durham
154.996.320 To Trunk 4 – Pleasant Valley, Greenhill, Union Centre
Westville159.298.921 Trunk 4 to Route 289 / Cowan Street – Alma, Westville
160.899.922 Hwy 106 (TCH) north – Pictou, P.E.I. FerryExit 1 on Hwy 106
New Glasgow, Stellarton163.8101.823 Route 289 / Route 4 – New Glasgow, Westville, Trenton
165.0102.524 Route 374 – New Glasgow, Stellarton, Trenton, Sheet Harbour
165.7103.0Crosses the East River of Pictou
166.2103.325 Route 348 (East River Road) – New Glasgow, Stellarton, Trenton
169.8105.526 Route 347 to Trunk 4 – Thorburn, Sherbrooke
Sutherlands River177.2110.127 Trunk 4 / Route 245 north – Merigomish, Pine Tree, Little Harbour
180.1–
195.5
111.9–
121.5
15.4 km (9.6 mi) gap in divided freeway
(Twinning work underway to complete freeway between Sutherlands River and Barney's River Station)
Barney's River Station195.9121.729 Trunk 4 – Kenzieville, Barney's River Station
AntigonishJames River209.5130.230 To Trunk 4 / Beaver Mountain Road – James River, Marshy Hope
Addington Forks218.7135.931 Trunk 4 – Addington Forks, James River, Brierly Brook
Antigonish221.0137.332 Trunk 7 to Trunk 4 / Route 337 / Route 245 – Antigonish, Eastern Shore
223.4138.833 To Trunk 4 – Antigonish, Beech Hill
Lower South River228.9142.235 To Trunk 4 / Route 316 – Lower South River, Pomquet, Taylors Road
232.0144.2End of divided freeway
236.1146.735BPomquet Monks Head Road, Pomquet River Road – Pomquet, St. AndrewsAt-grade
Heatherton238.1147.936Summerside RoadAt-grade
239.3148.736A Trunk 4 east – Afton, TracadieAt-grade
242.5150.736BAfton Road north to Trunk 4Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, Afton, TracadieBayside Travel Centre located at interchange
Monastery251.1156.037 Trunk 4 to Trunk 16 south – Monastery, Guysborough, Tracadie
261.2162.338 To Trunk 4 – Havre Boucher, FrankvilleEastbound exit, westbound entrance
262.5163.138 To Trunk 4 – Havre Boucher, FrankvilleWestbound exit, eastbound entrance
Aulds Cove269.4167.439 Trunk 4 west – Havre BoucherWest end of Trunk 4 overlap; at-grade
270.7168.240 Route 344 south – Mulgrave, St. Francis HarbourAt-grade
Strait of Canso272.0–
273.4
169.0–
169.9
Canso Causeway
InvernessPort Hastings274.1170.341 Hwy 105 (TCH) east – Chéticamp, Baddeck, Sydney
Trunk 4 east to Hwy 104 (Fleur-de-lis Trail) – Port Hawkesbury, St. Peter's, Sydney
Trunk 19 north (Ceilidh Trail) – Inverness, Port Hood, Margaree Forks
Roundabout; exit 1 on Hwy 105;
Trans-Canada Highway follows Hwy 105 east
7.9 km (4.9 mi) gap in Hwy 104
InvernessPort Hawkesbury282.1175.343 Trunk 4 – Cleveland, Lower River Inhabitants, Canso CausewaySigned as Hwy 104
RichmondLower River Inhabitants291.8181.344Cleveland, Lower River Inhabitants, Port MalcolmAt-grade
Evanston293.6182.445Evanston, WhitesideAt-grade
Louisdale304.7189.346 To Route 320 / Route 206 – Louisdale, Arichat, Grande Anse
Cannes315.2195.947Sporting Mountain Road – River Bourgeois, Cannes
River Tillard319.4198.548 Trunk 4 – River Bourgeois, St. Peter's, SydneyEastern terminus (at-grade); through traffic follows Trunk 4 east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
Note: Exit numbers in Nova Scotia are sequential.

References

  1. ^ a b c Google (February 8, 2020). "Nova Scotia Highway 104" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Nova Scotia Road Map (Map). 1:640,000. Province of Nova Scotia. 2019. §§ E-6, F-6, F-7, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, G-11, G-12, F-12, F-13, F-14.
  3. ^ "Province to Honour Mining Heritage" (Press release). Government of Nova Scotia. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  4. ^ a b c "DRAFT RFP: Highway Twinning / Tolling Feasibility Studies for the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal". Tenders. Province of Nova Scotia. 2015.
  5. ^ Beswick, Aaron (May 17, 2023). "New section of twinned Highway 104 opens near Barneys River". SaltWire Network. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  6. ^ "Highway 104 four-laning officially open after 20 years". The Chronicle Herald. 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  7. ^ a b "N.S. government awards P3 contract for twinning of Highway 104". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Highway Twinning" (PDF). Government of Nova Scotia. p. 7. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "Highway 104 Twinning Sutherlands River to Antigonish Project". Ministry of Environment. Province of Nova Scotia. April 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Scotia, Communications Nova (2018-05-11). "Twinning Consultations Dates, Locations Announced". News Releases. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  11. ^ "Five Year Plan | novascotia.ca". novascotia.ca. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
Preceded by Trans-Canada Highway
Highway 104
Succeeded by
Preceded by