Nova Scotia Highway 104
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Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Canada, runs from
Fort Lawrence Fort Lawrence was a British fort built during Father Le Loutre's War and located on the Isthmus of Chignecto (in the modern-day community of Fort Lawrence). Father Le Loutre's War Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia rema ...
at the
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
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 The Trans-Canada Highway (French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on ...
across the province. Highway 104 mostly supplants the former route of Trunk 4. In 1970, all sections of Trunk 4 west of
New Glasgow New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...
were renumbered, although the number was added back in the Mount Thom and
Wentworth Valley The Wentworth Valley is a valley in the Cobequid Mountains of northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It comprises the lowest elevation pass through the Cobequids. It was named after the colonial governor John Wentworth (1792-1808). Physical geograp ...
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 Springhill mining disaster may refer to any of three deadly Canadian mining disasters that occurred in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield, near the town of Springhill in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. In t ...
of 23 October 1958.


Route description

The highway's present alignment measures long, of which the western between the inter-provincial border with
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
at
Fort Lawrence Fort Lawrence was a British fort built during Father Le Loutre's War and located on the Isthmus of Chignecto (in the modern-day community of Fort Lawrence). Father Le Loutre's War Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia rema ...
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 A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
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.


Trans Canada Highway

From the inter-provincial border at
Fort Lawrence Fort Lawrence was a British fort built during Father Le Loutre's War and located on the Isthmus of Chignecto (in the modern-day community of Fort Lawrence). Father Le Loutre's War Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia rema ...
, Highway 104 is a 4-lane divided freeway with posted speed limit of and runs east for past the towns of Amherst and
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
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 to
Masstown Masstown (2021 population: 156), formerly Cobequid, is a farming community located approximately from Truro, Nova Scotia. Historic background Masstown has its beginnings with French settlers, known as Acadians. They first settled in this ...
, this segment is a
toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow toll, ...
ed section known as the
Cobequid Pass The Cobequid Pass is the name given to a tolled section of Nova Scotia Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway) between Thomson Station, Cumberland County and Masstown, Colchester County in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The section is a ...
, which opened on 15 November 1997. From Masstown, the highway runs east and northeast for to the rural community of Onslow, near
Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...
, and intersects
Highway 102 Route 102 or Highway 102 can refer to multiple roads: China * China National Highway 102 Canada * New Brunswick Route 102 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 102 * Nova Scotia Highway 102 * Ontario Highway 102 * Prince Edward Island Rou ...
, the main 4-lane divided freeway connecting the Trans-Canada Highway with Halifax and southern Nova Scotia. Highway 104 continues for , past Westville, to Highway 106, a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway that connects to
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
via ferry. The highway continues east for to Stellarton and
New Glasgow New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...
, with the highway passing through Sellarton; however, New Glasglow 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. East of Sutherlands River, Highway 104 becomes a Super 2 with a posted speed limit of . The highway runs east for 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. East of Barney's River Station, the highway runs southeast for to James River as an uncontrolled access highway which was formerly part of Trunk 4. Past James River, the highway runs east for to Addington Forks as a Super 2, controlled access highway, where the highway runs east for 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 , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...
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 to Dagger Woods. Prior to this new alignment opening, this section was an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4). From the end of the freeway section at Dagger Woods, the highway runs east for to
Pomquet Forks Pomquet Forks is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Antigonish County , nickname = , settlement_type = County , motto = , image_skyline = Antigo ...
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 to Heatherton as an uncontrolled access highway (formerly Trunk 4) and speed limit reduces . Past Heatherton, the highway runs east for to Auld's Cove and speed limit increased back to . At Auld's Cove, the highway becomes an uncontrolled access highway with a posted speed limit of and begins a concurrency with Trunk 4. It crosses the Strait of Canso along the
Canso Causeway The Canso Causeway (''Cabhsair Chanso'' in Gaelic) is a rock-fill causeway crossing the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Its crest thickness is , carrying the two vehicle traffic lanes o ...
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.


Cape Breton Island

From the roundabout at Port Hastings, there is an 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. 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 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 Bras d'Or Lake ( Mi'kmawi'simk: Pitupaq) is an irregular estuary in the centre of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. It also has inflows of fresh water from rivers, making the brackis ...
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 A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes ris ...
and uncontrolled access sections of the highway.


History

Highway 104 was upgraded in various stages as follows: * KM 0 to 49, section from the
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
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 Masstown (2021 population: 156), formerly Cobequid, is a farming community located approximately from Truro, Nova Scotia. Historic background Masstown has its beginnings with French settlers, known as Acadians. They first settled in this ...
had been built as a 4-lane divided freeway that opened November 15, 1997; tolled section known as
Cobequid Pass The Cobequid Pass is the name given to a tolled section of Nova Scotia Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway) between Thomson Station, Cumberland County and Masstown, Colchester County in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The section is a ...
. *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 A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ac ...
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 Pomquet Forks is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Antigonish County , nickname = , settlement_type = County , motto = , image_skyline = Antigo ...
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 The Canso Causeway (''Cabhsair Chanso'' in Gaelic) is a rock-fill causeway crossing the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Its crest thickness is , carrying the two vehicle traffic lanes o ...
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 section of Highway 104 between Sutherlands River and Antigonish to Dexter Nova Alliance. As part the project, there will be of existing highway upgraded and a 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. Construction began in the spring of 2020, with a completion date of no later than the end of 2023. 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. 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.


Exit list


References

{{NS Roads and Highways
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
Nova Scotia 104 Limited-access roads in Canada
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
104 104 may refer to: *104 (number), a natural number *AD 104, a year in the 2nd century AD * 104 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 104 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * Hundred and Four (or Council of 104), a Carthagin ...
Antigonish, Nova Scotia Transport in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia