Halifax has a traffic problem, and the province is betting artificial intelligence can help fix it.
Budget 2026-27, tabled Monday by Finance Minister John Lohr, includes $1 million to pilot AI-powered traffic signals in Halifax Regional Municipality. It’s a small line in a massive budget, but it comes with real context: Halifax ranked third worst in Canada for traffic congestion in 2025, trailing only Vancouver and Toronto, for the second year running.
Why it matters
AI traffic signals read real-time conditions and adjust green and red phases on the fly to keep traffic moving. The technology has been deployed across the U.S. in places like North Carolina, which recently rolled it out at 2,500 intersections.
For Halifax drivers, the frustration is well-documented. Congestion is now worse than before the pandemic, and the city’s rapid growth isn’t making things easier.
What the province has said
Public Works Minister Fred Tilley flagged adaptive signal technology as a priority as recently as December, specifically mentioning the Macdonald Bridge to North Street corridor and the Young Street corridor as areas where improvements could come quickly. He described it at the time as something the province could act on fast, while longer-term road changes would take more time and construction.
The budget commitment suggests those conversations have moved forward.
What we don’t know
The province hasn’t announced which intersections will be part of the pilot, what technology vendor would be involved, or when it would launch. Those details will likely come through a separate HRM or Public Works announcement.
Bottom line
One million dollars won’t solve Halifax traffic. But as a pilot, it’s a starting point, and given that the city has ranked near the top of Canada’s worst congestion lists two years in a row, it’s a story Halifax drivers will be watching closely.
Haligonia is not a media outlet, and we do not employ journalists. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, this post is for informational purposes only. This post was aided using AI tools.
