Northwest Arm Crossing

[Corker]

With the closure of Quinpool Road this summer I expect the appetite for a bridge crossing Northwest Arm will be on the rise. Traffic into or out of the peninsula has always turned to gridlock whenever accidents or construction reduce the available lanes and that was evident today for those travelling Chebucto and Bayers Road.

Unfortunately I don't believe HRM or the Bridge Commission has taken any steps to identify future routes or acquire land even if a bridge would be premature at this point. It's a shame as it will only become more difficult as the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove areas fill in.

In the meantime, it's fun to speculate. I've often thought a ramp could start at the foot of Cowie Hill Road and cross over to Jubilee or South Streets. A more southern route could go from Purcells Cove Road (around the Williams Lake area) over to the Atl. School of Theology and connect with Robie Street. Both routes would have significant issues and obstacles to overcome including the yacht club, Dingle Park, and numerous million dollar properties.

While the mainland population around the area of a southern crossing is more sparse, the route has the benefit of pulling traffic from the universities and hospitals off the peninsula quickly and could connect to a future artery on the mainland and a third crossing to Dartmouth in the Halterm area.

It's all wishful thinking but I'd be interested to hear if the Bridge Commission or HRM has actually done any planning around this.