Trunk 4 is part of the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

's system of Trunk Highways. The route runs from Highway 104 exit 7 near Thomson Station to

Glace Bay Glace Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Glasbaidh'') is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton. Formerly an incorporated ...

. Until the construction of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, 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 A ...

, Trunk 4 was a major traffic link in northern Nova Scotia and

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

, and is still used on Cape Breton as an alternative to Highway 105. The highway was originally called the King's Highway, however, this name is no longer applied to the entire road. The only remaining historic section of the highway that maintains the name "King" is King's Road in Sydney.

Route description (west to east)

;Thomson Station to Glenholme The section between the western terminus at Exit 7, Highway 104 in Thomson Station to Mahoneys Corner was originally built as Highway 104 in the 1960s. It was bypassed by 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 ...

in 1997 and redesignated Trunk 4 at that time. The section between Mahoneys Corner and Glenholme was originally part of Trunk 4 until the 1960s when it was designated Highway 104. This section was also redesignated Trunk 4 in 1997 after the opening of the Cobequid Pass. ;Glenholme to Onslow The section between Glenholme and Onslow is co-designated with Trunk 2. Trunk 4 is discontinuous between Exit 14A, Highway 102 in the west and Pictou Road in Bible Hill in the east. ;Bible Hill to Barney's River Station Trunk 4 reappears in Bible Hill, following Pictou Road and the original Trunk 4 alignment east. In Kemptown, Trunk 4 follows an old alignment of Highway 104 for several kilometres. Trunk 4 continues east of Kemptown on its original alignment through Mount Thom to

Salt Springs A brine spring or salt spring is a saltwater spring. Brine springs are not necessarily associated with halite deposits in the immediate vicinity. They may occur at valley bottoms made of clay and gravel which became soggy with brine seeped down ...

. From Salt Springs to Westville, the present alignment of Trunk 4 was used as Highway 104 from the 1960s until being bypassed in the 1990s. Now redesignated Trunk 4, the highway designation continues into Westville on Truro Road and then Westville Road. In New Glasgow it follows the original Trunk 4 route on Westville Road, Stellarton Road, George Street, Archimedes Street, Marsh Street and Merigomish Road before heading east toward Sutherlands River. At Sutherlands River, Trunk 4 follows a new alignment between School Rd and Highway 245. It then continues east to Barney's River Station. ;Marshy Hope to South River Station Trunk 4 uses an old Highway 104 alignment between Barney's River Station and Marshy Hope. From Marshy Hope, Trunk 4 proceeds east to

Antigonish Antigonish ( ; ) is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Hal ...

. In Antigonish, it follows Post Road, James Street, Main Street, and St Andrews Street. East of Antigonish it proceeds to South River Station. ;Heatherton to Auld's Cove Trunk 4 is discontinuous between South River Station and Heatherton as Highway 104 mostly uses the old Trunk 4 alignment. From Heatherton, Trunk 4 proceeds east to Auld's Cove. ;Port Hastings to Glace Bay Trunk 4 is discontinuous between Auld's Cove and Port Hastings as Highway 104 uses the old Trunk 4 alignment. From Port Hastings, Trunk 4 proceeds east through

Port Hawkesbury Port Hawkesbury (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Chlamhain'') is a municipality in southern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. While within the historical county of Inverness, it is not part of the Municipality of Inverness County. Their sl ...

and St. Peter's before turning northeast along the southeastern shore of

Bras d'Or Lake Bras d'Or Lake (Mi'kmaq language, 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, ma ...

through Big Pond and Ben Eoin. It continues east to Sydney River to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. In Sydney it follows Kings Road, Esplanade Road, Welton Street. East of Sydney it continues along Grand Lake Road to Reserve Mines and

. In Glace Bay it follows Reserve Street and Union Street and ends at the intersection of Union and Commercial Streets.

Blue Route

Because a large portion of the highway has been paralleled by the faster Highway 104, traffic volumes are comparatively light. As a result, parts of Trunk 4 are currently under review to become part of Nova Scotia's Blue Route, a designated cycling corridor.Blue Route status map
/ref>

History

Trunk 4 originally started at the

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

border in

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 re ...

. In the early years of the

system, Trunk 4 was the designated Trans-Canada Highway route across mainland Nova Scotia. When controlled-access sections of Highway 104 were first built in the 1960s, the number replaced Trunk 4 entirely west of New Glasgow. As four-lane sections of Highway 104 were built in the late 1990s, the number 4 was again used to mark the former Mount Thom and Wentworth Valley sections of 104. ;Original sections of historic Trunk 4 (west to east) ;NB-NS border to Monastery * part of Cumberland Loop in

serving the Nova Scotia Dept of Tourism visitor information centre is a former Trunk 4 alignment * Laplanche Street in Fort Lawrence * Laplanche Street, Church Street, and Albion Street in Amherst * Trunk 2 from Amherst to Springhill * Highway 321 from Springhill to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

* Highway 204 from Oxford to Streets Ridge (old road alignment visible at realigned intersection) * Highway 368 from Streets Ridge to Mahoneys Corner * current section of Trunk 4 from Mahoneys Corner to Glenholme * Glenholme Road in Glenholme * current section of Trunk 4/Trunk 2 from Glenholme to Masstown (old road alignment visible at realigned intersection) * current section of Trunk 4/Trunk 2 from Masstown to Tidal Bore Road in Onslow * Tidal Bore Road to Meadow Drive (old bridge - old road alignment visible from Highway 102) * Robie Street, Juniper Street, Prince Street, and Walker Street in

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

* Main Street to Pictou Road in Bible Hill * Pictou Road in Bible Hill and

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

* current section of Trunk 4 from Valley to Kemptown * Loop Old Highway 4 in Kemptown * current section of Trunk 4 from Kemptown to Westville with some minor exceptions * Truro Road and Westville Road in Westville * Westville Road, Stellarton Road, George Street, Archimedes Street, Marsh Street and Merigomish Road in New Glasgow * current section of Trunk 4 from Linacy to Sutherlands River * School Road in Sutherlands River * current section of Trunk 4 across Sutherlands River (old bridge - old road alignment visible at realigned intersection) * current section of Trunk 4 from Sutherlands River to Barneys River Station * Robertson Road at Barneys River Station * former section of Highway 104 from Barneys River Station to Marshy Hope (old road alignment visible at some places along this section) * current section of Trunk 4 from Marshy Hope to Addington Forks * old road alignment visible at realigned intersection in Addington Forks * Post Road, James Street, West Street, Main Street, St Andrews Street in Antigonish * current section of Trunk 4 from Antigonish to South River Road * current section of Highway 104 from South River Road to Lower South River * unused old road alignment visible in Taylors Road * Dagger Woods Road in Dagger Woods * Heatherton Village Road in Pomquet Forks and Heatherton * current section of Trunk 4 from Heatherton to Monastery ;pre-1955 (Monastery - Port Hawkesbury) * current section of Trunk 4 from Monastery to Aulds Cove * current section of Route 344 from Aulds Cove to Mulgrave ** Prior to the 1930s current section of Old Mulgrave Road from Monastery to Mulgrave * Wallace Street in Mulgrave * public car ferry operated by NS Dept of Highways from Mulgrave to Port Hawkesbury; Mulgrave slip located between Wallace Street and Dale Avenue; Port Hawkesbury slip located at foot of MacSween Street * MacSween Street, Granville Street, and Sydney Road in Port Hawkesbury ;post-1955 (Monastery - Port Hawkesbury) * current section of Trunk 4 from Monastery to Aulds Cove * current section of Highway 104 in Aulds Cove * current section of Highway 104 across

Canso Causeway The Canso Causeway () is a rock-fill causeway crossing the Strait of Canso, provides access by road to the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence or Cape Breton Island to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Its crest thickness is , carrying t ...

* current section of Trunk 4 from Port Hastings to Port Hawkesbury * Reeves Street and Sydney Road in Port Hawkesbury ;Port Hawkesbury to Glace Bay * current section of Trunk 4 from Port Hawkesbury to River Tillard * old road alignment visible at realigned intersection in River Tillard * current section of Trunk 4 from River Tillard to Sydney River (with exception of new alignment build in Irish Cove in the 1970s) * Kings Road in Sydney River * Kings Road, Esplanade Road, Prince Street, Welton Street in Sydney * current section of Trunk 4 / Grand Lake Road to Reserve Mines * Sydney Road in Reserve Mines * Reserve Street in Glace Bay * Union Street in Glace Bay

Major intersections

External links

East Bay Highway Cam

Irish Cove Highway Cam

References

{{NS Roads and Highways

004 004, 0O4, O04, OO4 may refer to: * 004, fictional British 00 Agent * 0O4, Corning Municipal Airport (California) * O04, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation * Abdul Haq Wasiq, Guantanamo detainee 004 * Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine * La ...