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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Nova Scotia Highway 103

Highway 103 is an east-west highway in Nova Scotia that runs from Halifax to Yarmouth.

The highway follows a route of 291 kilometres (181 mi) along the province's South Shore region fronting the Atlantic coast. The route parallels its predecessor, local Trunk 3. The highway varies from 2-lane controlled access to 2-lane local secondary roads on the section between Yarmouth and Hebbville. East of Hebbville to Hubbards, the highway is 2-lane controlled access, with the exception of a 3 km (2 mi) 4-lane divided freeway near Chester. From just west of Hubbards (exit 6), to the interchange with Highway 102 (near Bayers Lake) in Halifax, the highway is 4-lane divided freeway. Same as Highway 101, kilometre markers increase running west-to-east, increasing from Yarmouth to Halifax; with exit numbers running east-to-west, increasing from Halifax to Yarmouth.

In 2013, Highway 103 was redesignated as the Fishermen's Memorial Highway.

History

The highway has developed sporadically since the 1970s, with the 2-lane controlled access portion to Bridgewater being largely responsible for the abandonment of CN Rail's South Shore line, the former Halifax and Southwestern Railway.

In November 1998, construction was completed that twinned a five kilometer section of highway between exit 2 and exit 3. In November 2006, construction was completed that twinned 15 kilometres of highway between exit 3 and exit 5. In December 2006, an 8.3 kilometre bypass around Barrington was completed.

In late September 2015 a new section of highway was opened to bypass the Port Joli area. In November 2016, a new section was completed which bypassed Port Mouton. Residents complained that the single exit east of the community had lengthened the trip for people heading west from Port Mouton.

The new interchange in Ingramport (exit 5A) opened in January 2017.

Work on twinning Highway 103 from exit 5 (Tantallon) to exit 5A (Ingramport) began in February, 2018 and was completed in December, 2020. Twinning from exit 5A (Ingramport) to exit 6 (Hubbards) started in 2020 and was completed in July of 2024. Construction on the twinning from exit 6 (Hubbards) to exit 7 (East River) is underway.

Names of Highway 103

Safety concerns

Between 2006 and 2009, there were 29 deaths on the highway. In 2009, it was considered Nova Scotia's deadliest highway and was ranked the second most dangerous highway in Canada by the Canadian Automobile Association. In 2009 alone, ten people died in automobile accidents on the highway, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. Between 2008 and 2012, there were 22 fatalities on the highway.

In September 2018, local residents raised concern over the presence of a road sign on the highway, near the turnoff to Port Mouton, that had a very confusing appearance, looking like a patchwork of several other road signs. It was supposedly revealed when a hotel removed its billboard advertisement, revealing the sign below.

Exit list

CountyLocationkmmiExitDestinationsNotes
HalifaxHalifax0.00.01B Hwy 102 to Hwy 101 – Halifax, Dartmouth, Windsor, Airport, Truro, BedfordHwy 103 eastern terminus.
0.40.251DDunbrack StreetEastbound exit only.
1.20.752 Trunk 3 west (St. Margarets Bay Road) to Route 333 (Lighthouse Route) – Beechville, Lakeside, Peggys CoveWestbound signed as exits 2A (west) and 2B (east)
Timberlea5.63.53 To Trunk 3 / Timberlea Village Parkway
Hubley12.77.94 Trunk 3 – Timberlea, Five Island Lake
Upper Tantallon19.612.25 Route 213 (Hammond's Plains Road) to Trunk 3 / Route 333 – Peggys Cove, Bedford
29.918.65A To Trunk 3 – Ingramport, Black Point, Boutiliers Point
LunenburgHubbards40.825.46 Trunk 3 / Route 329 – Queensland, Blandford
East River50.031.17 Trunk 3 / Route 329 – Chester, Blandford
Chester57.235.58 Trunk 14 – Chester, Windsor
Chester Basin61.338.19 Trunk 12 – Kentville, New Ross
Mahone Bay75.046.610 Trunk 3 – Lunenburg, Martin's River
Blockhouse79.949.611 Route 324 (Cornwall Road) to Route 325 – Mahone Bay, Lunenburg
Bridgewater91.656.912 Trunk 10 to Route 331 / Route 332 – West LaHave, East LaHave, Riverport
91.857.0Crosses the LaHave River
93.057.812ABridgewater Business ParkNew roundabout interchange opened on December 20, 2024
94.858.913 Route 325 (Victoria Road) to Route 331 – Bakers Settlement, Wileville
Hebb's Cross101.463.014 Trunk 3 east – Hebbville, BridgewaterAt-grade
Italy Cross107.967.015Italy Cross Road − Crousetown, Petite Riviere, Broad Cove, Rissers Beach Provincial ParkAt-grade
Middlewood111.769.416Hirtle Road / Camperdown School Road − Vogler's Cove, Broad Cove, CamperdownAt-grade
Queens122.476.117 Route 331 – East Port Medway, Voglers Cove, Charleston, Cherry HillAt-grade
Crosses the Medway River
124.277.217APort Medway Road − Mill Village, Port Medway, East/West Berlin, CharlestonAt-grade
130.581.118 Trunk 3 west – Brooklyn, LiverpoolAt-grade
Liverpool136.985.119 Trunk 8 to Trunk 3 – Milton, Brooklyn
137.585.4Crosses the Mersey River
140.387.220A To Trunk 3 (Old Port Mouton Road) – White Point, Hunt's PointAt-grade
153.295.221 To Trunk 3 – Summerville Centre, Hunt's Point, White PointAt-grade
Port Mouton155.996.9Trunk 3 eastIntersection closed, use exit 21
160.799.922Trunk 3 west – Port Joli, East Side Port l'Hébert, Kejimkujik National Park (Seaside Adjunct)At-grade; Trunk 3 is unsigned
163.3101.5Trunk 3 east – Port JoliIntersection closed, use exit 22
ShelburneSable River176.6109.723 Trunk 3 west – LockeportAt-grade
Jordan Falls190.3118.224 Trunk 3 east / Lake John Road – LockeportAt-grade
190.8118.6Jordan Branch Road − Jordan Branch, Jordan Ferry, Jordan BayAt-grade
196.0121.825 Trunk 3 west – ShelburneAt-grade
Shelburne200.0124.326 Route 203 – Ohio, East KemptvilleAt-grade
Birchtown206.9128.627 Trunk 3 east – Gunning Cove, IngomarAt-grade
Clyde River220.3136.928 Route 309 south (South Road) / Quinns Falls Road – Port Clyde, Eel Bay, Port La TourAt-grade
Barrington230.0142.929 Trunk 3 west to Route 309 – Port La TourAt-grade
Riverhead234.3145.630 To Trunk 3 – Barrington Passage, Lower Woods Harbour, Upper Woods Harbour
YarmouthPubnico256.0159.131 To Trunk 3 / Route 335 – Lower ArgyleAt-grade
Argyle268.4166.832 Trunk 3 east – Central Argyle, Argyle HeadEast end of Trunk 3 unsigned concurrency; at-grade, proposed interchange
269.0167.1Crosses the Argyle River
269.4167.432A Trunk 3 west – GlenwoodWest end of Trunk 3 unsigned concurrency; at-grade, proposed intersection closure
276.2171.6Eel Lake Road / Belleville RoadAt-grade
276.8–
277.4
172.0–
172.4
Crosses Eel Lake
Tusket281.2174.733 Route 308 to Trunk 3 – Quinan
282.4175.5Crosses the Tusket River
Yarmouth291.3181.0Hardscratch Road − BrooklynHwy 103 western terminus
292.1181.5 Trunk 3 (Starrs Road) to Hwy 101 / Trunk 1 – Ferry
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Communities

References

  1. ^ "Highway 103 in Nova Scotia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Four Lanes Open on Highway 103 Government of Nova Scotia
  3. ^ Highway 103 Greatly Improved Government of Nova Scotia
  4. ^ Barrington Bypass Completed Government of Nova Scotia
  5. ^ Verge, Brittany W. (October 14, 2015). "Smoothing out Highway 103: Port Joli bypass opens to traffic". Queens County Advance. Transcontinental Media. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  6. ^ Canada's most notorious highways CBC.ca
  7. ^ "Nova Scotia's Highway 101 to be widened". CBC News. March 6, 2009. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  8. ^ "CAA NEO Blog". Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2010-01-16. "The Top 12 Most Dangerous Highways in Canada"
  9. ^ 10 most dangerous roads in Canada Archived 2010-10-21 at the Wayback Machine MSN.ca
  10. ^ Highway 103 safety review launched in Nova Scotia CBC.ca
  11. ^ "Is this road sign in Canada the world's most confusing?". BBC. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Highway 103: Broad River to Port Joli Phase 1" (PDF). Nova Scotia Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal. Government of Nova Scotia. January 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
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