CTV News reported June 6 that construction of the plant by General Combustion Corp. was close to completion in Orlando, Florida.
Former Transportation Minister Bill Estabrooks claimed that the asphalt plant would save the province an estimated $2.5 million per year.
"In some areas of Nova Scotia, limited or uncompetitive bidding has led to higher prices for asphalt. By operating our own mobile asphalt plant, we anticipate tender prices will go down just as they did with chip seal when the province started chip sealing last summer," Estabrooks said.
But the NS Road Builders Association remains skeptical. It has strongly objected to the government’s road building business plan calling it “flawed, unachievable and unrealistic.”
The NSRB also raised concerns about the government’s lack of accountability. Last year, Executive Director Grant Feltmate said, “The Government has stated it will not be conducting an audit of these activities for up to 5 years, i.e. they will spend approximately $100 million of taxpayers’ money without checking to see if any value was derived for the taxpayer.”
CTV News reported that the portable asphalt plant would be shipped on 10-14 tractor-trailers, assembled in 2-3 days and in operation by late June or early July.
New provincial transportation minister Maurice Smith said the plant would be operating in Victoria County, Cape Breton sometime this summer.
