News Release
Kelly Calls for Share of $62 Million Highway Upgrading Fund
(Thursday, February 20/2003)-- Mayor Peter Kelly today urged the Government of Nova Scotia not to overlook the pressing transportation needs of the Halifax Regional Municipality in its new highways upgrading program.
Mayor Kelly welcomed the announcement yesterday by Premier John Hamm that the governments of Nova Scotia and Canada have reached a new $62 million highway upgrading agreement.
Although Premier Hamm provided few details about his tentative agreement with federal Industry Minister Allan Rock, it is understood that both governments will contribute $31 million towards the program.
Mayor Kelly said HRM has been the victim of continued federal and provincial government cutbacks in highway improvement and street/road maintenance programs in recent years.
He said "Although HRM has been experiencing unprecedented growth during the past few years, we are essentially using the same road network that we had 20 years ago. We are putting more and more traffic onto the same streets, and that is causing greater traffic congestion and increased frustration on the part of the motoring public."
HRM saw its population increase from about 342,000 in 1996 to close to 360,000 in 2001. Exceptional growth areas included Clayton Park West, Bedford, The Hammond Plains area, Timberlea/Lakeside/Beechville and Eastern Passage.
Mayor Kelly said that four out of 10 Nova Scotians live within the HRM boundaries and many more travel into the urban core each day to work.
"Our transportation system needs a major overhaul and improvement. The residents of HRM pay the lion's share of federal, provincial and municipal taxes in Nova Scotia. I believe that they have a right to expect that some of this new highway upgrading money will be spent here", Mayor Kelly said.
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Mayor Peter Kelly
(902) 490-4010
