Cost of Highway 102 connector road going up by $11.9M

The cost of the project to build a connector road between Highway 102 and Trunk 2 is going up by almost $12 million.

The Nova Scotia government passed an order in council Tuesday approving up to $11.9 million more for the Aerotech connector project, which was announced last year.

The work, which is at Exit 5A and includes roundabouts and other structures to connect Highway 102 with Wellington and surrounding communities, was expected to cost about $21 million and be ready by the end of 2022. The federal government is putting $10 million toward the work.

But a spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Public Works Department said Thursday that bid prices were higher than what was originally budgeted for the project due to the higher cost of the management and removal of sulphide-bearing rock material.

According to the province, some of the bedrock material in Nova Scotia can release acid known as acid rock drainage when the sulphides or other mineralswithin are exposed to water and oxygen after it has been disturbed.

The oxidation process releases sulphuric acid and metal oxides that can run off into waterways and contaminate them. The materialis hazardous for human health and can cause fish kills if it gets into waterways.

Sulphide-bearing rockcan be costly to contain.

The province is shouldering the additional costs and the work is now expected to be complete by summer 2023.

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