Highway-twinning project beating schedule

Dexter Construction is six months ahead of schedule in finish its highway-twinning project between Saint John and the U.S. border.

The three-year project was supposed to wrap up in July 2013 but the construction is expected to wrap up early.

But the Department of Transportation is refusing to confirm the progress. Instead, provincial officials say the completion date is still next July.

Harry Varjabedian, a senior executive with Dexter Construction, told the Rotary Club of Saint John a few weeks ago the project will be done this year.

Imelda Gilman, the president of the Saint John Board of Trade, was at the public meeting when the construction company revealed the new timeline.

"I thought it was very ambitious. I've driven that road over the last number of months and there's so much activity all the way down to the border," Gilman said.

The twinning of the highway to the border is among the business groups priorities for southern New Brunswick.

Gilman said she was pleased to hear the project is ahead of schedule.

She said the bulk of New Brunswick's exports come from the greater Saint John area.

A 17-kilometre section of the new highway from Bethel to Waweig will open to traffic on Tuesday.

The highway construction project is worth $540 million.

Dexter Construction will also operate and maintain the highway until the year 2040.