Atlantic Highways Thread

[Smevo]

^Yup, still essentially the same.

Since you mention St. Rita's, I was born there in '82. I think it was ~1992 or so when it was torn down.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Smevo

Since you mention St. Rita's, I was born there in '82. I think it was ~1992 or so when it was torn down.

Just missed you, I did a three month OBS/Neonatal rotation there in 1983-84, I delivered about 50 babies during my time there.....

It almost could have been you!!

God, I feel old now.....

[Fischbob]

Charlotte County economy hit hard by Highway 1 twinning
St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce makes case for new signs on Route 1, calls situation "an emergency."
CBC News
Posted: Apr 11, 2013 12:47 PM AT
Last Updated: Apr 11, 2013 1:53 PM AT

The St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce is pushing the New Brunswick government for proper signage and a tourist information centre along Highway 1 to attract customers.

The group said business across the southwest region dropped 35 to 70 per cent last year, largely because of the completion of the highway-twinning project between Saint John and the U.S. border.

...

Angela Tessier owns Ossie's Lunch, a restaurant located in Bethel, a few kilometres away from St. Andrews.

She said her business, coming up to 56 years in operation, has been cut in half since the Route 1 project was finished last fall.

“The first day the highway was open it was like a ghost-town,” she said. “I expected to see tumbleweeds roll down the street.”

“None of us could even believe how drastic the change was.”

Businesses bypassed

Tessier said her location has now become too easy to pass through.

“There’s nothing to encourage [drivers] to stop in St. Stephen, St. Andrews, whether it be our exit off the highway, St. George, Pennfield —– I mean we’re just being passed by.”

The chamber's president, Dan Burley, said Charlotte County tourism is facing an emergency situation.

...

Burley said because of the desperate outlook, the group should be granted immediate approval for improved signage.

And he said a tourism centre needs to be erected "within five kilometres" of the new Canada-U.S. border at St. Stephen.

Full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...y-signage.html

This doesn't surprise me at all, really. Our newly-twinned highways certainly allow people and goods to move through the province faster, but we're already seeing the downside. I imagine a lot of roadside businesses and communities in northwestern NB were similarly hurt by the twinning of the Trans-Canada.

I'm skeptical that better signage and a new information centre is going to be an effective solution (though it can't hurt). The fact of the matter is it's simply too easy to drive through New Brunswick without ever leaving the highway and without ever seeing anything of interest. The twinned Route 2 might be fast but it's also BORING. It's almost like they went out of their way to to avoid any visual interest (the bridge over the St. John River at Jemseg is a case in point), and most of our other major highways are guilty of this too. The result is that nobody stops or spends money in the province and the image of NB as an empty backwater that you just drive through to get to the "real" Maritimes gets perpetuated.

A more effective solution to this problem would be to a) toll our highways, and at the same time b) promote the hell out of our scenic drives. The "express" option would still be available to commercial traffic and those willing to pay for it, while more frugal and/or curious travelers would be directed toward routes that are more memorable and offer greater opportunities for local roadside businesses. This strategy would generate revenue and increase the potential for tourism—a win-win!

On a more emotional note, I love Ossie's! Hopefully they can weather this downturn, but it sounds like they've taken a serious hit. I'll have to organize some day trips with my friends this summer!

[q12]

Originally Posted by Fischbob

The result is that nobody stops or spends money in the province and the image of NB as an empty backwater that you just drive through to get to the "real" Maritimes gets perpetuated.

A more effective solution to this problem would be to a) toll our highways, and at the same time b) promote the hell out of our scenic drives. The "express" option would still be available to commercial traffic and those willing to pay for it, while more frugal and/or curious travelers would be directed toward routes that are more memorable and offer greater opportunities for local roadside businesses. This strategy would generate revenue and increase the potential for tourism—a win-win!

Exactly.

You'd be surprised how many people go through the very scenic Wentworth Valley now to avoid the $4 tolls on the Cobequid pass (even though it's only $2 with a free macpass/e-pass from the Halifax Bridge Commission).

Although the view from the top of the Cobequid pass is pretty awesome as you can see the Confederation Bridge on a clear day.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by q12

Although the view from the top of the Cobequid pass is pretty awesome as you can see the Confederation Bridge on a clear day.

I don't think I can ever recall a clear day on top of the Cobequid. It's always snowing, or raining, or cloudy...

I'd still like to see tolls on the border highways.

[MonctonRad]

I agree that we need to promote the hell out of our scenic byways.

In particular, the urgency to finish the Fundy Trail is becoming critical. I can't believe that they are still talking about it! Everyone agrees that it is a good idea and it will only cost a paltry $20M or so to finish the job. That's chicken feed as far as the provincial budget is concerned.

A completed Fundy Trail would give a viable scenic alternative for tourists to pass through the southern portion of the province on the way to and from Nova Scotia.

If you are in a hurry, you could hoof it on rte's 1 & 2 and make it through the province in three hours. Of course, you would see nothing along the way except moose and muskeg....

or

You could take the Fundy Trail and:
- visit the university town of Sackville.
- wend your way through the orchards of the Memramcook Valley
- tour downtown Moncton (and perhaps spend time at the zoo, Crystal Palace etc)
- visit the craft shops along the lower Petitcodiac River Valley
- see the provinces signature tourist attraction - the Hopewell Rocks.
- marvel at Conde Nast's best view in Canada - Cape Enrage.
- browse Main Street in Alma
- go hiking in Fundy National Park
- explore the Fundy Trail Parkway, NB's version of the Cabot Trail
- overnight at a bed and breakfast in Saint Martin's
- explore historic downtown Saint John
- maybe take a side trip to Campobello or Grand Manan
- stay at the Algonquin Hotel in Saint Andrews, explore the Kingsbrae Gardens, the Van Horne house on Governor's Island and the craft shops on Main Street
- go whale watching on Passamaquoddy Bay
- visit the Chocolate Museum in Saint Stephen.

Now, the second option would take 2-3 days rather than 3 hours, but which one sounds like the most fun!!

Option #2 however can not be marketed properly until the Fundy Trail is completed. The completion of the Fundy Trail is the linchpin in this tourism strategy. It must be completed (as soon as possible) and the province must market the dickens out of it.

[Fischbob]

Totally with you on the need to complete the Fundy Trail: it's the missing link in one of our greatest tourist assets! While I'm pretty partial to the experiences and scenery of the Bay of Fundy, we could just as easily come up with excellent itineraries for our other scenic drives like the Acadian Coastal Route and the River Valley Drive.

Even though we're still waiting for the Fundy Trail, the good news is there are at least a few incredible views to be had along the Southern NB highways today:






Photo credits: Google Streetview... and MonctonRad

[MonctonRad]

Good one....

You have however exaggerated the stature of the sign somewhat.

[Smevo]

Cross-posted in the Sydney thread.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/L...intersection/1

Steve Wadden – Cape Breton Post

Traffic passes the turn off for Kytes Hill Drive along Grand Lake Road in Sydney last week.

Province to examine Kytes Hill Drive after several crashes at intersection

Published on April 21, 2013
Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post RSS Feed

SYDNEY — The Nova Scotia government says it will work with the public to make the roads safer for motorists and residents in the Kytes Hill Drive area.

However, the province hasn’t yet committed any dollars to improve the roadway, which has been the scene of several collisions over the years.

...

The review includes a public meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Grand Lake Road Volunteer Fire Department.

The $30,000 review, funded by the province, is expected to be complete by August.

...

Last year, CBRM council requested the province reduce the speed limit at the Kytes Hill subdivision on the Sydney-Glace Bay highway.

The current maximum speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour, but council has requested the province decrease the speed limit to 60 km/h in an attempt to slow drivers down in the area just east of Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters.

To date, there has been no change in the posted speed limit.

According to the CBRM’s planning department, the Sydney-Glace Bay highway handles an estimated 24,000 vehicles a day between the province’s second- and third-largest urban communities.

...

[Trevor3]

Beauty day here this afternoon and I have it off, so I decided to head out to my favourite little stretch of highway: Noel's Pond on Route 460, with my camera. Ironically, the community hasn't actually been anywhere near its namesake pond since 1941 due to the US Army Air Force expropriating it for a water supply for their base.

This stretch of highway is slated to be rerouted in the next few years (though I doubt it will happen), due to flooding caused by the bridge in the last photo. Government could save a ton by just building a higher bridge.


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Roadside Alpaca (& Horse)

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[hebertovich]

Does anyone know how long the bottle neck will be on the highway just before the off-ramp heading west?? Is the falling rock going to be removed or did the dept of highways just say screw it well put a bottleneck there and forget about it ? What's the hold up? Are they waiting for something to fall?

[Fischbob]

East-West Highway may include recreation trail, utility lines
By Mike Lange, Piscataquis Observer
Posted July 03, 2013, at 11:42 a.m.

SANGERVILLE, Maine — The route of the proposed East-West Highway probably won’t be finalized in the near future, but the limited access highway may include a recreation trail and utility lines.

In response to a letter from Sangerville Town Manager David Pearson, East-West Highway Project Manager Darryl Brown wrote that the corridor “as currently proposed will include a four-lane divided toll road highway and an all-purpose recreation trail to accommodate snowmobiles, ATVs and hikers.”

Pearson read Brown’s letter at the June 27 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. It said, in part, “years down the line, it is conceivable that the corridor could include other uses such as utility transmission lines. If so proposed, any additional use of the corridor would be subject to the same local, state and federal permitting process as the initial proposal for a highway and recreation [trail].”

...

Brown’s letter also said that it will be several years before construction of the 220-mile highway begins.

“The permitting alone will take at least three years and quite possibly, as many as five years. Adding all of that together, it is safe to say that construction will not begin for at least five to six years from now,” Brown wrote.

The Cianbro executive also said that “the final route of the corridor has not yet been determined and won’t be until we have satisfied local land ownership issues as well as environmental challenges. Because of the scope of the project, we are working very hard to ensure that the impacts to individual property owners and environmental issues have been minimized.”

Sangerville, Monson and Charleston residents have voiced opposition to the corridor and have placed moratoriums on any permitting process related to the construction of the highway.

Full article: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/0...utility-lines/

It may be several years off, but this would appear to still be in the works!

[JHikka]

Glad to see that this is still in the works. Despite the opposition in Maine there seems to be a decent amount of support from the project, both in the Maritimes and in Ontario/Quebec.

[josh_cat_eyes]

They should start out of Bangor and work there way east and west. Twining sections of the airline highway like they are doing to highway 85 between river-de-loup and NB would be a logical first step.

[Mattyyy]

From the T & T yesterday

Government-Provincial
Gov’t still working on Highway 11: minister

by alan cochrane

Times & transcript staff
25 Jul 2013 11:34PM

FREDERICTON — The provincial government is still working toward a plan to upgrade the busy Route 11, a major artery between Shediac, Miramichi and northern New Brunswick.

“This plan is based on living within our means, while also supporting economic development and highway safety,” Transportation Minister Claude Williams said this week. “Discussions are ongoing with the federal government as their support will be essential to the project.”

But Opposition Leader Brian Gallant says it is time for action.

“The plans to improve Route 11 are ready to go and it’s been talked about for years,” Gallant said. “There is a consensus that improvements are necessary for economic development and for safety. All that is missing is the funding. Up until now, the Alward government has unfortunately obtained little by way of federal government support for needed investments for our province compared to our Atlantic neighbours.

“All of the preliminary plans, including environmental assessments, right of ways, etc., were completed by the last government. Money for improvements to Route 11 were in the current government’s 2012 capital budget. That means the money was allocated. What happened?”

In its entirety, Route 11 runs from Shediac north through the communities of Bouctouche, Richibucto, Miramichi around the Acadian Peninsula to Caraquet, Bathurst and Campbellton. It is used daily by many commuters to Moncton.

The leg of Route 11 between Miramichi and the southern terminus where the highway intersects with Route 15 has become busier in recent years.

It is this 128-kilometre portion that politicians want to see twinned, creating a four-lane corridor that would improve safety and traffic flow. The question is over how soon it should be done.

The ruling Progressive Conservatives say the huge costs, well over $1 billion, mean only the busiest portion should be twinned, with passing lanes built until the province’s finances improve and the entire project can be completed.

It wants to wait until Ottawa has its new infrastructure cost-sharing agreement in place in March 2014 to begin the work.

But the Liberal Opposition said earlier this year that the job is so important that it should begin this construction season.

Claude Williams, the province’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, has argued the Liberals have only themselves to blame for any delays on the highway that bridges north and south. He told Brunswick News earlier this year that the previous Liberal government prioritized the expansion of Route 1 between the Maine border and the Saint John area at Route 11’s expense. The first portion of funding from Ottawa was largely gobbled up by that $540-million project in southwestern New Brunswick, completed last October.

■ With files from John Chillibeck, Legislature Bureau.

[JHikka]

Interesting how Gallant is positioning the Liberals as backing Route 11 expansion in that area in the hopes of increasing their support in that direct area (Shediac-> Miramichi). It's also interesting that the PCs (or, at least, Williams), posits that the Route 1 expansion was also a similar Liberal vote grab via Highway building.

I'd personally like to see the Highway twinned until Richibucto, with passing lanes for the remainder north.

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Interesting how Gallant is positioning the Liberals as backing Route 11 expansion in that area in the hopes of increasing their support in that direct area (Shediac-> Miramichi). It's also interesting that the PCs (or, at least, Williams), posits that the Route 1 expansion was also a similar Liberal vote grab via Highway building.

I'd personally like to see the Highway twinned until Richibucto, with passing lanes for the remainder north.

The Liberals have always supported the backing of Route 11, and it was the previous Liberal government under Graham that completed much of the prep work for twinning. The area along the whole highway to Miramichi is primarily Liberal, with the exception of Kent South.

I never did understand why the Graham government put route 11 on the back seat and made highway 1 expansion a priority. I always assumed this portion of highway is much less busier than route 11? So why the switch? You now have a twinned highway to a portion of Maine that has nothing.

Route 11 does not just need a partial twinning to Richibucto, but a complete twinning from Shediac to Miramichi. It is not only important for safety, but vital to economic prosperity in Miramichi. I agree with Gallant - it is time for the Alward government to stop delaying and to go to work on funding and starting construction.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

I never did understand why the Graham government put route 11 on the back seat and made highway 1 expansion a priority. I always assumed this portion of highway is much less busier than route 11? So why the switch? You now have a twinned highway to a portion of Maine that has nothing.

JDI & Irving Oil are why the Route 1 expansion occurred.

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by JHikka

JDI & Irving Oil are why the Route 1 expansion occurred.

I didn't want to say it but that's definitely my feeling. $500 million that could have been well spent elsewhere. Oh well, at least they get their products to the New England market a bit quicker!

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

I didn't want to say it but that's definitely my feeling. $500 million that could have been well spent elsewhere. Oh well, at least they get their products to the New England market a bit quicker!

As much as I may dislike the intentions it does speed up travel through Charlotte county considerably. Now, if only we could get Maine to build their highway so it has something to connect to...