N.S. to ignore plebiscite, keep Port Hawkesbury's main street at three lanes

Despite a recent vote suggesting most Port Hawkesbury residents want their main street to revert to four lanes, the town and province are a step closer to making a three-lane pilot project a permanent fixture on Reeves Street. 

Public Works officials appearing at Tuesday night's town council meeting announced they expect to finish work on a permanent three-lane alignment for Reeves Street by 2027, pending approval from the provincial government.

Upgrades would include reducing the width of the provincially owned street and overhauling traffic lights at two intersections that have seen extensive traffic tie-ups over the past year. 

The move flies in the face of a plebiscite on Reeves Street last fall as part of the town's municipal elections. Some 60 per cent of the 1,691 participating voters declared that they preferred the previous four-lane alignment, which was scrapped in 2019.

Public Works feels major traffic issues resolved 

When the province and town council introduced the Destination Reeves Street pilot project six years ago, a one-kilometre stretch of the main thoroughfare was reduced from four lanes to three, with strategic turning lanes at the entrance and exit points to local businesses, shopping plazas and other public gathering spaces. 

The move was designed in part to slow traffic down to the speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour, and data collected by Public Works through engineering firm CBCL suggests that has occurred. The average speed from 2019 to 2025 was 54 kilometres per hour, spiking to 63.9 km/h between 4 and 5 a.m.

However, in 2024, town residents and some municipal councillors criticized the three-lane system for prolonged traffic slowdowns on weekdays during the noon-hour and late-afternoon periods. 

During this week's presentation to council, Public Works officials Dwayne Cross and Mark Brace confirmed that issues with traffic lights at two intersections slowed motorists down, and pledged to replace these lights as part of the planned Reeves Street upgrade. 

Cross, the manager of highway planning and design, said his department was aware of the Reeves Street plebiscite.

"Certainly, it was tied into the political nature of an election, whereas we're science-driven — we're driven by data," Cross said after the presentation. 

Brace said the department has had feedback from some residents "and we're trying to address it through these proposals."

Mayor, council enthusiastic about street's future

Following the presentation, councillors voted unanimously to ask staff to draft a letter to the provincial department and encourage it to finance the upgrade. 

"The whole project from start to finish was a true example of a grassroots initiative to transform Reeves Street for safety for all the users, and for business facades and streetscapes and active transportation," said Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton. 

Deputy Mayor Iaian Langley, one of three new councillors elected last fall, said he would like to see further action taken regarding the entrance to a residential area located outside of the Destination Reeves Street sector. However, Langley also feels the project deserves council's support in its current form. 

"The data … bears out that the current configuration is safe," he said. "And when it's rebuilt, it'll be even safer."