Future Transportation Strategies Unveiled for Halifax and Its Surroundings in Nova Scotia
The Halifax Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), unveiled in August 2025, presents a comprehensive 20-year blueprint for transforming the transportation system in Halifax and surrounding areas, including East Hants, West Hants, Chester, parts of Lunenburg, Kings, and Colchester. This region, home to about 63% of Nova Scotia’s population, is the focus of the plan.
Key components of the plan include:
- Inter-municipal Bus Service: The government will study options to connect transit services between municipalities, aiming to improve regional connectivity.
- Harbour Bridge Options: Various possibilities for a new harbour crossing are under consideration, including the replacement or expansion of the Mackay Bridge to accommodate increasing traffic capacity.
- New Ferry Terminals: The plan includes studies on establishing additional or improved ferry terminals to enhance water-based transit across Halifax Harbour.
- New Highway Corridors: Proposals for new highway corridors and improvements to existing highways, such as Highway 102 (between exits 0 and 4) and the Highway 101 Connector, are being considered to address congestion and support growth.
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Rapid Transit Network: The RTP emphasises expanding public transit through bus rapid transit and potentially studying light rail transit and rail feasibility.
- Short-term Projects (18-24 months): To alleviate near-term traffic congestion, measures like adaptive traffic signal technology, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and improved road corridors leading to the Macdonald Bridge will be implemented.
- Passenger Rail Feasibility Study: This initiative will soon move forward with requests for proposals, investigating the potential for rail transit in the region.
The RTP is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada for detailed, multi-year transportation planning focused around Halifax. However, some political leaders have criticised the plan for lacking urgency and being largely a study of potential projects rather than delivering immediate infrastructure.
In summary, the Halifax Regional Transportation Plan sets out a broad and long-term framework including inter-municipal transit, new harbour crossings, ferry terminals, highway expansions, and transit network upgrades aimed at managing growth and congestion in the region over the next two decades.
- The plan's focus on expanding public transit through bus rapid transit and potentially studying light rail transit and rail feasibility indicates a significant shift towards improving the region's transportation industry, which could boost the local finance sector by attracting investments in infrastructure development.
- The proposed studies on establishing additional or improved ferry terminals and the investigation of passenger rail feasibility in the region point towards a comprehensive transformation in Halifax's transportation system, which could potentially enhance health and well-being by reducing traffic-related air pollution and promoting active modes of transportation like walking and cycling.
