The highway follows a 310km (190mi) route along the southern coast of the Bay of Fundy through the Annapolis Valley, the largest agricultural district in the province. Between its western terminus at Yarmouth to Weymouth, the highway is 2-lane controlled access. Between Weymouth and Digby, the highway reverts to a 2-lane local road. From Digby to Grand Pre, the highway is 2-lane controlled access. From the Gaspereau River crossing near Grand Pre to 3km west of Exit 6 (Falmouth) the highway is a 4-lane freeway. Heading east the highway is 2-lane controlled access until Exit 5 (Trunk 14). From Three Mile Plains to its eastern terminus at Bedford, the highway is a 4-lane freeway. Some of the 2-lane controlled access sections of the highway are 3 or 4 lanes, with the addition of passing lanes. One section of the 4-lane freeway near Hantsport is a short 5-lane (3 lanes westbound) section for about 2km due to previous road configuration for a passing lane due to a steep hill.[1] Similar to Highway103, kilometre markers increase run west-to-east, increasing from Yarmouth to Bedford; however, exit numbers run east-to-west, increasing from Bedford to Yarmouth.
The provincial government named the highway the Harvest Highway on 7 December 2008 to recognize the important contributions of farmers in Nova Scotia.[4]
History
Background
In the late 1950s, the demand for limited access arterials in Nova Scotia became evident due to congestion on trunk routes such as Highway 1, which led to the development of the 100-series highway system.
Construction
Highway 101 was developed in non-contiguous sections with the first parts, between Bedford and Upper Sackville, and between Windsor and Avonport, built in the early 1960s, before the 100-series highways were named. Due to the lack of numerical designation, these short sections were generally referred to as bypasses. In the late 1960s, sections between Mount Uniacke and Windsor, as well as between Avonport and Coldbrook began development and opened in 1970.[5] Further demand saw the construction of segments through the Annapolis Valley, Digby and Yarmouth counties in the 1970s–1990s. The highway was built to provide a modern limited-access route between Halifax and Yarmouth, and the many towns and villages in the corridor.
Twinning
The first section of Highway 101 to be twinned was between Bedford and Lower Sackville, which was completed in the late 1970s. By the early 1990s, the highway was divided from Bedford to Mount Uniacke, and in 2004 twinning to Windsor was completed. The posted speed limit on most twinned segments is 110km/h. As of 2023, Highway 101 is twinned from Bedford to Avonport, with the exception of the Windsor Causeway which is still under construction. Nearly all other sections are 2 lane, undivided highways with occasional passing lanes and a posted speed limit of 100km/h.
Future
Highway twinning is expected to Coldbrook within the foreseeable future,[6] as well as most new developments seeing design which accommodates future twinning.
There is an exit currently being built for Cambridge, Kings County, Nova Scotia, which will provide access to Trunk 1 in the current 15-kilometre gap between exits 14 and 15. This interchange will be a diamond configuration with roundabouts and an overpass to accommodate future twinning of Highway 101. A controlled-access collector road is proposed to connect the interchange with Trunk 1 to the South at a roundabout, Annapolis Valley First Nation at the interchange, and Brooklyn Street to the North.[7]
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Hwy 102 / Trunk 1 in Bedford 
Trunk 14 near Windsor 
Trunk 8 near Annapolis Royal 
Trunk 3 in Yarmouth 
