[Smevo]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Adding onto "theshark"'s post the TCH is twinned from NB/QUE border - New Glasgow in NS. There are two twinnings u/c in NS:

-Highway 104: Exit 26 (New Glasgow) to Exite 27 (Sutherland's River) approx. 10km.

-Highway 104: Antigonish bypass (exit 31A to past 35) approx. 15km?

As a rough estimate half of our TCH from Amherst to Sydney is twinned. Most of the remainder will probably be left alone because of under-population and once past Truro the importance drops (Truro has the interchange with the highway to HRM). Where twinned our TCH is wide-median, 110km/h with rumble strips (NB - Debert).

"theshark" forgot to mention both NB (16) and NS (106) have extensions to PEI which are not twinned.

To add, to this, the New Glasgow to Sutherland's River section is scheduled to be open in 2010. The need for upgrading was identified in 1992.

The Antigonish Bypass routing was studied in 1996, and selected in 2000. Earliest possible start date dependent on funding is fall of this year.

Port Hastings to Port Hawkesbury upgrading (planned for twinned highway, though being initially built as 2-lane) has been studied since the 70's, and has the earliest start date of late this year or early next year, but no funding has been established for it yet.

Request for routing proposals came out last year for the 104 from the Canso Causeway to Sydney (with the Newfoundland ferry in North Sydney being accessed from there by the 125 & 105), but no start dates announced yet, and they probably won't be announced anytime soon.

Most who say that twinning beyond Truro is not necessary do not drive the highway very often. As someone who drives quite often to both Sydney and Halifax, I can say it is necessary to twin as far as the Canso Causeway, and upgrade from there to Sydney with sections closer to the city needing to be twinned. For example, on the current TCH (105) which will lose its TCH designation to the 104 once completed on Cape Breton Island, the Kelly's Mountain switchback is often the site of this:

By Joyce Nicholson

Here are some videos from a transport truck driver that show the state of the current TCH 105, and former/future TCH 104/4 of which only a short section is currently 104. Keep in mind that, since these photos were taken from a transport truck, most of the traffic would be behind him, or he'd be travelling at slower traffic times to start out a long-haul trip
104/4
• Video Link

105
• Video Link