Автомагистраль 104 в Новой Шотландии: История и Развитие

Highway in Nova Scotia
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.

The highway's present alignment measures long, of which the western between the inter provincial border with New Brunswick at Fort Lawrence through to Sutherlands River is a 4 lane divided freeway. The eastern 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. East of Barney's River Station, the highway runs east for to James River as a 4 lane divided freeway, which opened to traffic on May 18, 2023. This segment bypasses a 2 lane uncontrolled access highway segment, which was formerly part of and is now once again part of Trunk 4. Prior to this new alignment opening, this section was an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4). As part the project, there was of existing highway upgraded and a new, realigned section; the bypassed section of Highway 104 between Barney's River Station and Marshy Hope reverted to being part of Trunk 4. Construction began in the spring of 2020, with a completion date of July 25, 2023. 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.