Nova Scotia Highway 125

Highway 125 is a 28 km long controlled-access highway located in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The provincial government named it Peacekeepers Way on August 18, 2008.[2] Part of the provincial 100-series arterial highway network, Highway 125 encircles the west side of Sydney Harbour, from an interchange with Highway 105 (the Trans-Canada Highway) at Sydney Mines to Trunk 4 (Grand Lake Road) immediately east of Sydney.

Highway 125
Peacekeepers Way
Route information
Maintained by Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
Length28.3 km[1] (17.6 mi)
Existed1970–present
Major junctions
West end Hwy 105 (TCH) near Sydney Mines
  Trunk 4 in Sydney River
Trunk 22 near Sydney
East end Trunk 4 in Sydney
Highway system
Provincial highways in Nova Scotia
100-series
Hwy 118 Hwy 142

Route description

The northern third of the highway was upgraded during the late 1990s and early 2000s from a two-lane freeway to a twinned 4-lane freeway. Particularly problematic was the fact that the highway passes in proximity to Pottle Lake, the water supply reservoir for North Sydney, which required installation of pollution control monitoring and containment systems.

In 2002 a connector road was built from the Grand Lake Road interchange which gives access to the port of Sydney at the former Sydney Steel Corporation property which is now an industrial park.

In the fall of 2006, an additional interchange was opened at Coxheath Road, offering direct access to the communities of Coxheath, Blacketts Lake, and the Cantley Village subdivision.

In January 2008, a public meeting was held to discuss the required infrastructure to finally twin Highway 125 from its six lane divided portion in Sydney River to its eastern terminus at Grand Lake Road. The design work and implementation will require the construction of a roundabout at the George Street exit (in addition to the roundabout at the Alexandra Street exit that was completed in December 2009), as well as over-pass structures for George Street, and Cow Bay Road/Upper Prince Street.[3] The Cow Bay Road/Upper Prince Street overpass has now been cancelled, and a round-a-about is being proposed for Exit 9. At-grade intersections will be eliminated, and access roads will be constructed for a DND small arms range between Exits 8 (George Street) and Exit 9 (Grand Lake Road/SPAR), as well as the fresh water reservoir. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

On December 4, 2010, twinning was completed from Exit 4 near Balls Creek to Exit 5A near Coxheath.[4]

History

The highway was built in the late 1950s - early 1960s and extended from North Sydney to Point Edward, but branched off in Point Edward and continued along Nova Scotia Route 305 then Trunk 5 until Sydney River. When Highway 125 bypassed the Trunk 5 sections of 125 in the late 1960s - early 1970s it became a controlled access highway for a lot of the highway. In 1970 the highway extended to Grand Lake Road bypassing Sydney to Nova Scotia Trunk 4. In the 1990s the highway became twinned from Balls Creek - Upper North Sydney and from the late 1990s- early 2000s it was twinned around North Sydney and waterlines were placed around Pottle Lake. In 2010 the highway was twinned from Point Edward to Sydney River. In 2014 and 2015 the highway was twinned between Sydney River and Grand Lake Road (its eastern terminus).

Kilometres northwest to southeast

0 to 2.7 km

  • This section was built in the early 1960s as an uncontrolled access highway
  • At Exit 2 Johnston Road; King Street there was an intersection until the early 2000s when it was twinned to a 4 lane freeway
  • The speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)

2.7 km to 9 km

  • This section was built in the early 1960s as a Super 2 controlled access highway
  • This section was twinned to a 4 lane freeway between the early 1990s until the early 2000s
  • The speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)

9 km to 11.6 km

  • This section was built in the late 1950s as a Super 2 uncontrolled access highway
  • Three intersections were inserted before Exit 3 and 4 were built
  • This section was twinned to a 4 lane freeway in the early 1990s
  • The speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)

11.6 km to 19.2 km

  • This section was built in the late 1960s as a Super 2 controlled Access Highway with the exception of an intersection
  • A new interchange at Exit 5A was put in 2006 for connections to Coxheath Road, Blacketts Lake
  • This section was twinned in 2010
  • The speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)

19.2 to 28.0 km

  • This section was built in the late 1960s as a Super 2 controlled access highway.
  • This section was twinned between 2014 and 2015.
  • A new interchange at Exit 7A was put in 2015 for connections to Membertou.
  • It is the busiest section of this highway
  • The speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) with the exception of Cow Bay Road and the end of the highway where it is at 80 kilometres per hour (49 mph)

Exit list

The entire route is located in Cape Breton Regional Municipality. 

Locationkm[1]miExitDestinationsNotes
Sydney Mines−2.0−1.2 Main Street (Route 305 south) Sydney Mines, North Sydney
Pond Road (Route 305 north) Florence
Continues as Main Street
0.00.01 Hwy 105 (TCH) Baddeck, Canso Causeway, North Sydney, Newfoundland ferrySigned as Exit 1E (east) and 1W (west); exit 20 on Hwy 105
Wikimapia view
North Sydney2.51.62Johnston Road, King StreetWikimapia view
8.85.53 Route 305 / Route 223 west (Bras d'Or Lakes Scenic Drive) Boisdale, Grand NarrowsWikimapia view
11.57.14 To Route 239 (Frenchvale Road) Balls Creek, Point Edward, FrenchvaleWikimapia view
15.89.85 To Route 305 / Route 239 (Sydport Access Road) Coxheath, Westmount, SydportWikimapia view
Coxheath18.011.25ACoxheath Road – Coxheath, Westmount, Blacketts LakeWikimapia view
Sydney River18.711.6Crosses the Sydney River
19.111.96 Trunk 4 (Kings Road) Sydney, St. Peters, Port HawkesburySigned as Exit 6W (west) and 6E (east)
Wikimapia view
Sydney21.213.27 Route 327 (Alexandra Street) Sydney, GabarusWikimapia view
22.413.97AChurchill DriveWikimapia view
24.215.08 Trunk 22 (George Street, Marconi Trail) Sydney, LouisbourgWikimapia view
28.317.6(9) Trunk 4 (Grand Lake Road) Sydney, Airport, Glace Bay, New Waterford
Sydney Port Access Road
At-grade; traffic signals; continues as Sydney Port Access Road
Wikimapia view
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Closed/former
Note: Exit numbers in Nova Scotia are sequential.

References

KML is from Wikidata
  1. Google (July 13, 2017). "Highway 125 in Nova Scotia" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  2. "Peacekeepers Way". Premier of Nova Scotia - Premier's Speeches. Government of Nova Scotia. August 18, 2008. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008.
  3. Shannon, Chris (March 13, 2013). "CBRM concerned circular reasoning could hurt new path". Cape Breton Post.
  4. "Federal, provincial governments open newly twinned section of Highway 125". Transport Canada. Government of Canada. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
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