New Minas will keep on province to fund Granite Drive highway interchange

The proposed Granite Drive interchange has been put on the backburner by the province, says the chairman of the New Minas Village Commission.

The initiative was part of the transportation department’s five-year capital plan but has now been deferred.

“Obviously, it’s important,” Dave Chaulk said. “It would get more traffic off the highway and into another section of New Minas.”

The project was approved and initial land clearing has taken place, but, “due to (provincial) fiscal problems, it’s on the back burner.”

Chaulk said the village commission understands that the province doesn’t have enough money to complete all projects but the new interchange would hopefully lead to more development in the vicinity.

With the recent ruling of the provincial Utilities and Review Board that the village could expand its boundaries south of Highway 101, the Granite Drive project could help increase accessibility to the subject land and encourage new development opportunities, Chaulk said.

“We will keep reminding them why it’s important to New Minas,” Chaulk said.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal New Minas area manager Robin Homans confirmed that the Granite Drive interchange project is no longer part of department’s five-year plan. It has been deferred, pending the next round of federal funding through Infrastructure Canada’s Building Canada Fund.

The project is still listed on the latest edition of the 2015 five-year plan, although it has been delayed until 20162017 under that document.

At the Jan. 20 Kings County council committee of the whole meeting, council approved a motion regarding Granite Drive brought forth by Jim Winsor, who represents New Minas. The motion states that council supports placing a high priority on the project and directs Warden Diana Brothers to write a letter of support for the Village of New Minas to transportation minister Geoff MacLellan.

The letter will encourage the minister to keep construction of the interchange on schedule, as outlined in the five-year capital plan. Winsor said the Granite Drive project had been scheduled for completion within the next two years.

On behalf of the village, Chaulk has sent letters to county council and the transportation minister regarding the importance of keeping the Granite Drive project on schedule.

In an October letter to the minister, Chaulk said, “New Minas is a vibrant community that relies heavily on its Commercial Street activity; however, there is an ever-growing need to mitigate traffic congestion on that street to ensure that the residents, emergency vehicles, shoppers and travelling public have safe, easy access to the village, neighbouring communities and to Highway 101.”

Chaulk said the village commission believes the planned interchange at Granite Drive provides a solution to those issues.

Concern over correspondence

Winsor says he’s concerned over the handling of correspondence at county council.

Winsor brought a motion to the Jan. 20 committee of the whole session to direct the chief administrative officer to prepare draft policy for council’s consideration regarding the management and administration of correspondence to council. The motion was approved. Council will consider final approval at the Feb. 3 meeting.

“There is a need to have in place an efficient and effective policy for the management and administration of correspondence received from the citizens of Kings County or other parties dealing with Kings County,” Winsor wrote in his report to council.

Winsor wanted a request for a letter of support for New Minas regarding the proposed Granite Drive interchange project placed on the December committee of the whole agenda. It wasn’t on the agenda, even though Winsor said he submitted his request in accordance with the timeframe. It finally made the agenda in January.

Winsor said he took the initiative to bring the motion for a letter of support for New Minas forward after he learned from village staff that there had been no reply to an October letter to county council, asking for a letter of support for Granite Drive.