Brun-way Highway Project

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The Brun-Way Highway exemplifies our commitment to connect people, data and technology—while respecting and protecting the world we all share.

This highway covers 275 km of four-lane highway located in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It includes 260 km of the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2) and 15 km of Route 95 to the United States border. The route is critical for moving goods, residents and visitors across New Brunswick and throughout Atlantic Canada.

Brun-way background

In August 2005, the project started with the design and construction of a new 98 km stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway. The initial build was done through a joint venture with AtkinsRéalis, Atcon Construction and the Province of New Brunswick. It was one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in New Brunswick— at peak construction, more than 1,100 workers and a dozen New Brunswick construction and engineering firms were involved. Within 27 months, we constructed 98 km of twinned four-lane highway and updated another 128 km of the existing four-lane Trans-Canada Highway. The highway was opened on time and delivered on budget.

The contract was one of the first Public Private Partnerships (P3) in New Brunswick. It brought innovations in financing and technology, benefitting the public because it resulted in the highest quality standards for road construction and operations at the time.

30-year plan

Upon completion of construction, AtkinsRéalis became fully responsible for operating, maintaining and, when necessary, rehabilitating these 275 km of highway until 2033.

Our Operations and Maintenance group maintains the highway’s infrastructure through annual inspections, sound asset management practices and scheduled maintenance activities. This has ensured the route remains one of Canada’s most modern and best-maintained highways. In 2024, segments under the control of Brun-Way Highway Operations performed better on overall asphalt ride quality than comparable highways throughout the country.

The work includes managing snow clearing and salting operations, which are complicated as heavy snowfall and freezing rain makes New Brunswick’s highways some of Canada’s most challenging for snow and ice control. The snow removal fleet maintains a continuous presence on roads during weather events. Work also includes summer maintenance road work (repainting, vegetation management, inspections and cleaning), and repairing bridges, signs, guardrails and wildlife crossings. Roadway sweeping as well as debris, litter and graffiti control happen regularly. The AtkinsRéalis Operations & Maintenance (O&M) division also manages incident response, road patrols and traffic control. The call center is open 24/7, and incident response times are always less than an hour, day or night.

Enhancing road safety through innovation

AtkinsRéalis has delivered multiple innovations enhancing safety and efficiency. One of these is a safety swing arm attached to the side of its plow trucks. Designed to prevent vehicles driving into snowplows during dangerous and illegal overtakes, this low-cost, low-maintenance mechanical arm with high-intensity flashing lights has reduced collisions with snowplows since its introduction.

Another innovation is a hydraulic bridge-washing arm affixed to the front of a maintenance truck and operated remotely by a single technician. Less costly than traditional bridge washing methods, the arm also increases worker safety by keeping them out of live traffic.

Connecting people, data and technology

VUEWorks is a proprietary asset management platform through which our O&M division digitally tracks and displays the 125,000+ assets along the highway. The platform simulates wear and tear on the assets over time in response to real-world conditions, allowing accurate predicting which assets to repair or replace. Through facilitating this proactive maintenance approach, VUEWorks prevents failures by keeping assets in a higher state of good repair, while also focusing maintenance activities where they are required without solely relying on time-intensive manual inspections by workers.

Ecological Impacts

Sustainability and harmonization with local ecosystems are key priorities for the highway’s management. Eighteen wildlife crossings and 194 km of fences along the route allow wildlife including moose, bears and deer to maintain natural movement patterns with much less risk to the animals and motorists.

“With Canada’s renewed focus on nation-building critical infrastructure projects, the Trans-Canada Highway — one of Canada’s original nation-building projects — will continue to play a critical role in the fabric of New Brunswick, and in Atlantic Canada as a whole. We look forward to continuing being a part of the community here for years to come.” – Philippe Jean, Senior Vice President, Operations, Canada, AtkinsRéalis

“The department’s partnership with AtkinsRéalis, through their Brun-Way program, has been instrumental in keeping 275 kilometres of our province’s highways well-maintained for two decades. Its year-round upkeep of these roadways continues to be reliable and efficient.” – Chuck Chiasson, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister

Recognition and awards

Safe and Sustainable Snowfighting Award. The project has won this award every year since its inception in 2012. The award from the Salt Institute recognizes excellence in environmental consciousness and effective management in the storage of winter road salt.
The 2018 Road Safety Engineering award from the Transportation Association of Canada, for their Safety Swing Arm. When deployed, the 10’ arm installed in the back of the lead plow truck prevents collisions with snowplows by creating a physical barrier between motorists and the right wing. The final design was completed in August 2013.
The silver award in the infrastructure category, by the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, in November 2008. The Trans-Canada Highway project was the first highway infrastructure project in Canada to require its private-sector partner to finance construction of the project, with payment only once the highway opened to traffic.
The ISO 9001 and 14,001 certifications ahead of schedule (3 months prior to deadline) as the ISO certifications were required prior to commencing construction in 2005.

275 km

of roadway maintained

125,000 +

total assets maintained, includes 35 major interchanges, 15 river crossings, 163 other large structures

7,000 +

yearly average work orders

24/7

hours of operation for Brun-Way Highway Operations’ Control Centre

Highways, Roads & bridges

Markets

Transportation
Location

New Brunswick, Canada
Client

Trans Canada Highway Corporation
Completion date

2033

Catherine Piedboeuf

Chief Highway Engineer, US contact form

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