page_title: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
section_title: Transportation
hierarchical_section_title: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia / Transportation
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of NS Route 331 in Bridgewater, NS
context_page_description: Bridgewater is a town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the navigable limit of the LaHave River. With a 2016 population of 8,532, Bridgewater is the largest town in the South Shore region.
  Priding itself as "The Main Street of the South Shore," Bridgewater has long been established as the primary commercial and professional service centre in the southern half of the province. The community boasts a diverse local economy, as well as larger national and international employers.
context_section_description: Provincial Highway 103 links Bridgewater with Halifax and Yarmouth via two exits, with another under construction. Trunk highways 10 and 3 meet at Bridgewater, and other provincial routes include 325 and 331.
  As the town continues to grow, traffic flow and congestion is of great concern. As Lunenburg County's biggest center of employment and commerce, Bridgewater also sees a large influx of daytime traffic. The town's geography and two bridge crossings within town limits can amplify traffic disruption when construction work forces the closure of one of the main routes.
  A public transit pilot operation began in 2017, and was made permanent in 2019 due to use exceeding expectations.The town's bus route runs through residential areas and popular destinations once per hour, six days per week. Feasibility studies into public transit between Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay have occurred but have not yet resulted in service.
  The Halifax and Southwestern Railway once passed through the town but discontinued service in the 1970s. Historically, the LaHave River was a primary transportation route, although today it is mainly used for recreational boating. The LaHave cable ferry is the only crossing downriver from Bridgewater.
caption: Route 331 runs parallel to the LaHave River in Bridgewater.
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