Department Can’t Explain or Back Up Road Paving Decisions with Objective Data
For release October 20 – While Nova Scotia’s road paving projects quickly outpace available funding, the projects selected each year aren’t backed by evidence, says the Auditor General.
“The Department of Public Works does not have accurate or up-to-date information on the condition of Nova Scotia’s paved roads and there’s no consistent approach for paving decisions,” Auditor General Kim Adair says in a new audit released today.
“If questioned, the Department would be unable to clearly explain why a certain road was selected over another.”
Public Works is responsible for maintaining 23,000 kms of paved and gravel roads throughout Nova Scotia – where more than half of residents live outside the capital region.
Statistics Canada reports over 70% of Nova Scotia roads are in fair or worse condition. During our audit period, thousands of Nova Scotians complained to a provincial contact centre about road conditions.
Over a two-year period, there were more than 63,000 road-related calls from the public. Since the complaint report generating process is manual, the data is not consistently used for decision making.
Although detailed pavement condition data is collected for many roads, it is not used to identify projects most in need. There’s also no way to record or track pavement condition observations, despite Highway Maintenance Standards requiring regular staff road patrols.
Over the last five years, the Department spent over $850 million on pavement preservation and restoration. To address the province’s highway infrastructure deficit, the department estimates 700 road kms need to be paved each year but the current funding level covers about half, or 391 kms.
Since the Department allocates funding primarily on road kilometers rather than pavement condition or lifecycle needs, work is not being done at the optimal time to minimize costs and maximize pavement life.
The audit includes nine recommendations; all geared to making evidence-based road investment decisions.
“Given Nova Scotians depend on having a safe and reliable provincial road network, the department must demonstrate cost-effective evidence-based decisions are being made each and every year,” says the AG.
The Department has accepted all the recommendations and has a plan in place to start implementing them in Spring 2027.