During a recent Question Period in the Nova Scotia legislature, Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin asked Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Lloyd Hines when the tolls will be taken off the Cobequid Pass.
Again, the minister, like Premier Stephen McNeil before him, responded once the highway is completely paid for.
The question remains, when will that be?
If there is an issue that’s been a source of controversy for more than 20 years, it’s the Cobequid Pass. Built as a public-private partnership, the 44-kilometre highway between Thomson Station in Cumberland County and Glenholme in Colchester has no doubt saved lives. It replaced a dangerous two-lane stretch of highway through the Wentworth Valley that had claimed more than 50 people in a decade.
The highway, opened in 1997, has served its purpose, and while it’s still not a pleasant place to be during foul weather, motorists can know there’s virtually no risk of another vehicle meeting them head-on.
There are still crashes on the Cobequid Pass, but seldom are they fatal. In that respect, the Liberal government of the mid-1990s made an excellent decision. The highway over the Cobequid Highlands, linking most of Nova Scotia to Cumberland County and the rest of the Trans-Canada Highway system is safer.
What’s frustrating for many Cumberland County residents is the need to pay a toll to travel to the rest of the province. While the old highway through the valley remains a viable alternative, its speed limit is much lower and it’s not the direct line from Point A to Point B the Cobequid Pass is.
The toll, to many in this part of Nova Scotia, is a reminder of what they consider an unfair tax and a barrier to economic development. Right or wrong, it’s still a sore point with many residents and business owners who feel they shouldn’t have to pay a toll to enjoy the quickest (and safest) traveling experience between Amherst and Truro.
During the most recent provincial election campaign, the Liberal government ran on the promise of eliminating tolls as soon as the highway is paid off. They suggested 2019 would be the likely date for that happening – even though the opposition Progressive Conservatives have maintained changes to the Highway 104 legislation make it possible the highway will not be toll-free until at least 2026, much longer than promised.
There has been speculation the government may maintain the toll on out-of-province vehicles, or possibly on commercial vehicles. But it has yet to share its plans with Nova Scotians about who will have to pay to use the highway and who will use it for free.
It also has to balance the fact there are a number of jobs connected to the highway in both Cumberland and Colchester counties. Those are jobs that could be hard to replace should the decision come to remove the toll plaza.
There’s also a question of the cost of maintaining the highway after toll revenues come to an end.
It is a delicate balance. Whatever the government decides, it needs to make a decision and make it public, so people can give it a pass or fail at the ballot box during the next provincial election campaign.
