A 140 km long section of Highway 101 in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley has experienced an average of five highway deaths per year for the past ten years. This section of highway, from Mount Uniacke to Bridgetown, was constructed between 1968 and 1980. It is primarily a two lane controlled access highway with secondary road access via interchanges, except for one at-grade intersection. It has been designated as part of the National Highway System, making it eligible for federal cost sharing. The Nova Scotia Department of Transportation & Public Works (TPW) plans to upgrade the first 75 km to a four lane, divided, wide median facility, however, funds are not available. The timing of upgrading will be dependent upon the allocation of funding from the Federal government, as well as satisfaction of environmental regulations. Since the twinning project may not be finished for five or ten years, a multi-disciplinary team has completed an Operational and Safety Review. The objective of the Review was to develop a traffic management and improvement plan that will ensure satisfactory safety and performance levels will be maintained on the two lane sections until the roadway is upgraded to a four lane facility. The Review process included public consultation, focus group discussions, volume projections, collision analysis, and roadway and roadside assessments. Design and maintenance engineers, and a human factors specialist, evaluated the existing roadway with regards to design standards used when the highway was constructed and the current standards that will be used for upgrading over the next ten years. Maintenance and design deficiencies have been noted and recommendations for improvements have been provided. The Study Team considered the four E's of traffic safety - Ergonomics (Human Factors), Education, Engineering and Enforcement - in determination of an improvement strategy. The completion of a four lane divided wide median highway is the long term solution for the level of service and fatal collision concerns of the Study Section. In the interim, however, many changes can be made to improve the overall level of safety, as well as the comfort and convenience of using Highway 101. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting