Highways and roads are very important to the Atlantic Provinces economy. The region has approximately 64,000 kilometres of highways, of which 5,889 kilometres (out of 38,021 across Canada) have been designated part of the National Highway System.

In 2005 there were 1,388,754 road motor vehicles registered in the Atlantic Region, which constitutes 7.2% of the Canadian total. Of these, 95 percent or 1,311,696 were vehicles weighing less than 4500 kg, 40,091 weighed more than 4500 kg, 6001 were buses and 30,956 were motorcycles. In addition to the motor vehicles there were 167,987 trailers and 229,923 off-road, construction and farm vehicles.

As the only Atlantic province on the international border with the United States, New Brunswick is the gateway for import/export traffic between Atlantic Canada and New England. The flow of traffic wil be enhanced in 2008 when a new border crossing is completed at St. Stephen, New Brunswick and Calais, Maine. Also, 2008 will see the completion of the twinning of the Trans Canada Highway across New Brunswick and the twinning of Highway 95, which connects Woodstock to Houlton, Maine. New Brunswick also links the Atlantic Region with the rest of Canada.

The Confederation Bridge opened in June 1997 to replace the Marine Atlantic ferry service and fulfill Canada’s constitutional obligation to provide a transportation link between Prince Edward Island and mainland Canada.

The following map shows the major highway and ferry systems in Atlantic Canada.

The Trucking industry

The trucking industry in Atlantic Canada is an important contributor to the Atlantic Provinces’ economy.

Source: Statistics Canada
Table last updated: 11/04/2003

Related Links

Transport Canada Policy Branch

Atlantic Provinces Economic Council

Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association

Ferry Services