Atlantic Highways Thread

[MonctonRad]

Well, I did the full length of the connected Fundy Trail Parkway/Fundy National Park/Fundy Coastal Drive all the way from the airport connector on the Saint John Thruway all the way to the Gunningsville Bridge in Riverview earlier today.

The full drive was about 245 km, taking about three hours (not including stops). With the newly opened connector, the drive from the east gate of the Fundy Trail Parkway through to the north gate of Fundy National Park is only 26 km long, taking about 21 minutes!

They have done a really nice job on the new connector road - nicely levelled and sloped, with broad curves that can be taken at speed, and the drive was surprisingly scenic. Kudos to DTI for doing a really nice job.

BUT, they have really, really, REALLY HORRIBLE SIGNAGE for way finding tourists.

I was familiar with the route, and knew what to expect, but even I was taken somewhat unawares by the sudden turnoff on the existing connector (to Sussex) to the new connecting segment leading to Fundy Park and Alma. If I was taken by surprise, then what would happen to a tourist from Minnesota????

If I recall correctly, the sign was just a small standard rectangular green information sign with an arrowhead on it saying "Shepody Road." There was no mention of Fundy National Park, and I'm pretty sure there was nothing on the sign about Alma either. I mean - what the frig!!! Are tourists supposed to be mindreaders??? They need a series of signs leading up to the turnoff clearly stating in no uncertain terms that this is the way to Fundy National Park, and the continuation of the Fundy Coastal Drive (let alone mentioning Cape Enrage and Hopewell Rocks).

Signage so far is a huge fail. I presume this is because the road is recently opened, and the tourist season is over, but still, there were out of province tourists on the Fundy Trail Parkway this morning, and I chatted to some of them at a couple of lookoffs, and they seemed well aware that the connector was now open. I wonder if they got lost? NB can do better..........

A couple of photos from my day trip:


Low tide at St. Martins. This will be my last photo of the iconic old covered bridge. They are in the process of dismantling it. It will likely be gone in a couple of weeks.


Looking towards the ironbound coast - Fundy Trail Parkway.

NB now has it's own Cabot Trail. We just have to promote it and market it, and put up some signs so the tourists won't get lost.

[L'homard]

Re the horrible signage, I was struck by that as well.
A cynic might be inclined to think the provincial tourism department does not care if tourists miss the turn off onto the connector road to Fundy and have to stop for directions at the restaurant and lodge just a mile or two beyond the connector road, owned by a long time Tory stalwart.
Nah, couldn't be!
PS, this is not to cast a shadow on the fantastic lodge and restaurant. The owners are a delight and their product is superior in every way and at a fair price as well. It's just a shame we can't say the same thing about DTI and whatever the tourism department is called this week.

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by L'homard

Re the horrible signage, I was struck by that as well.
A cynic might be inclined to think the provincial tourism department does not care if tourists miss the turn off onto the connector road to Fundy and have to stop for directions at the restaurant and lodge just a mile or two beyond the connector road, owned by a long time Tory stalwart.
Nah, couldn't be!
PS, this is not to cast a shadow on the fantastic lodge and restaurant. The owners are a delight and their product is superior in every way and at a fair price as well. It's just a shame we can't say the same thing about DTI and whatever the tourism department is called this week.

Does anyone have an image of the signage? Curious to see how bad it is. But yes, overall this is a fantastic addition and I only hope that more projects come along like this to get people off the bloody TCH and simply driving through New Brunswick. It was a great idea when built to connect the cities and rural parts of the province but it also removed tourists from seeing the beauty of NB and wanting to stop. Everyone is destined to PEI and Nova Scotia and sadly, for many, their only impression of NB is trees and exit signs....sigh.

[L'homard]

Originally Posted by Pugsley

It was a great idea when built to connect the cities and rural parts of the province but it also removed tourists from seeing the beauty of NB and wanting to stop.

This is the most scenic route possible anywhere in the Maritimes, with the possible exception of the Cabot Trail. Make no mistake, this does not remove tourists from seeing the beauty of NB. Quite the opposite! It just needs two proper signs.

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by L'homard

This is the most scenic route possible anywhere in the Maritimes, with the possible exception of the Cabot Trail. Make no mistake, this does not remove tourists from seeing the beauty of NB. Quite the opposite! It just needs two proper signs.

I was referring to the TCH (Highway 2), not the Fundy Trail.

[L'homard]

Originally Posted by Pugsley

I was referring to the TCH (Highway 2), not the Fundy Trail.

Pardon me, I misunderstood.

EDIT: The TCH signage is not too bad at the Sussex end of the parkway access roads, if you know what you are looking for. For example, some tourist attractions that I believe many would consider lesser attractions (all attractions are good, but some are gooder than others) can boast of elaborate colourful signage. I have noted large colourful signage on the TCH for the STONEHAMMER UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK, for example, which is no doubt a great thing, but no such luck for the Fundy Trail Parkway. Maybe in the next provincial budget this can be fixed. Or maybe I'm the only one who finds this odd. Right now the parkway gets the same signage as, say, Poley Mountain, signs that are but a tiny fraction of the size of the geopark, and only in green and white colours unlike the full colour geopark signge. I have not noticed any signage whatsoever along the TCH telling tourists they can access the parkway from Route 114 by leaving the TCH near Penobsquis. Maybe I missed them, however, as I was not looking for any signs at that key location because we always access the parkway via Saint Martins.

[PEI highway guy]

I was on NB highway 11 today between BouCtouche and Shediac. the new two lanes are paved between Mckees Mills and North of the Cocagne river. I assume the new lanes will open later this fall.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by PEI highway guy

I was on NB highway 11 today between BouCtouche and Shediac. the new two lanes are paved between Mckees Mills and North of the Cocagne river. I assume the new lanes will open later this fall.

Interesting. They still have a way to go on the ramps to the Shediac River Bridge. I suppose it might be ready by mid November though.

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Interesting. They still have a way to go on the ramps to the Cocagne River Bridge. I suppose it might be ready by mid November though.

I’d wish the would’ve worked on the Shediac Bridge to cocagne stretch more this summer there is not a lot of work to do.

[PEI highway guy]

Originally Posted by stephan.richard

I’d wish the would’ve worked on the Shediac Bridge to cocagne stretch more this summer there is not a lot of work to do.

I thought the same as you until I drove by the bridge under construction in Shediac bridge about 6 times since Aug. 1 or so. I WAS impressed by how much larger the 2nd Shediac river bridge and it is a much larger bridge than I thought they would build. It is also much higher in the air than the one currently in use. I guess that is why it took much longer than I thought it would to complete.

I love of following road construction and in my years of following highway twinning in NB I believe they finish the structures, bridges/overpasses before significantly completing the roadbeds. Hopefully they open up more roadway next year.

[Smevo]

Province to fix cracks in Cape Smokey pavement
N.S. Public Works says geotechnical review found there is no risk of imminent collapse of slope


Well, I'm glad your brand new lookoff 168m (552ft) up a mountainside isn't in imminent danger of collapsing. I guess it's a good thing the provincial park prevents it from being on the top of a 260m cliff.

Someone's having some tense Zoom or Teams meetings over this one.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6194163
Incoming Nova Scotian PC government intends to remove tolls on Cobequid Pass.

[josh_cat_eyes]

I’m in Cape Breton this week and I got a good look at the work on the highway between New Glasgow and Antigonish. They have about 90% of the paving done on the Antigonish side and also probably like 40% of it done on the other side. They should be able to move traffic into the new lanes on the Antigonish side before winter so they can redo the existing lanes. By next summer I would imagine they should be able to have a significant amount of 4 Lane highway completed.

[ghYHZ]

Some Nova Scotia Highway nostalgia.......the great renumbering of 1970!

Below are portions of the 1969 Nova Scotia Provincial Highway and that same area on the 1970 map.

The 200 series (east-west) and 300 series (north-south) highways were established from some of the original Trunk highways and are generally classified as collector highways. For example Trunk 15 became NS215 along the Noel Shore, Trunk 11 became NS311 from Truro to Tatamagouche and Trunk 45 became NS245 from Sutherlands River to Antigonish via Arisaig. Other new 200 and 300 routes were also established that previously hadn't been signed.

One high number....Trunk 28 still exists from Sydney to Glace Bay. 'Hidden' Trunk 30 is the Cabot Trail and is signed as such. Not numbered. The original Trunk 30 at the opposite end of the province near Barrington is now NS330.

Here's a list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ys#Local_roads

There's also 400 and 500 series local roads but I've never seen them signed.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by PEI highway guy

I was on NB highway 11 today between BouCtouche and Shediac. the new two lanes are paved between Mckees Mills and North of the Cocagne river. I assume the new lanes will open later this fall.

I have just heard from a reliable source that this divided segment of NB-11 is now open to traffic.

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I have just heard from a reliable source that this divided segment of NB-11 is now open to traffic.

Yes, the segment between Bouctouche and Cocagne opened Monday afternoon, specifically from Murray brook to Ward road.

Link

I suspect the southern segment from Shediac Cape to the Cocagne river will only open once the Shediac river bridge is completed.

[Dengler Avenue]

Meanwhile, tolls on Cobequid Pass may for real come off before December for Nova Scotian drivers.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Meanwhile, tolls on Cobequid Pass may for real come off before December for Nova Scotian drivers.

That was the old Liberal Plan. I think Premier Houston plans on removing the tolls for everyone.

[Pugsley]

I'm curious now that the US Government is putting money towards new infrastructure if we might ever see the often proposed yet never greenlit Interstate expansion from Bangor to Calais to join NB Route 1.

Does anyone have any background infor or insights into this? Would be great to get a faster direct link to New England for Southern New Brunswick and Saint John.

[Dengler Avenue]

It’s Biden though. Will he do anything that benefits Canada much more than the states?