Cabot Trail upgrade
Millions to be spent on roads along world-renowned tourism attraction
The federal and provincial governments plan to spend $36 million to rehabilitate more than 22 kilometres of roads along the Cabot Trail.
“These improvements to the Cabot Trail will help draw even more people to Cape Breton’s spectacular attractions, further strengthening the region’s reputation as a premier tourist destination,” said Sydney-Victoria MP Mark Eyking, in making the announcement Thursday along with Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner, provincial Transportation Minsiter Geoff MacLellan and Victoria The Lakes MLA Pam Eyking.
“The improvements will help boost tourism, and will also mean jobs .The work will take place over the next couple of years, it is huge undertaking,” Eyking said. “The biggest challenge is probably going to be Smokey. Anyone that has travelled that area lately knows it needs a major overall.”
The work will cover four distinct sections of Trunk 30 on the eastern edge of Cape Breton and includes new paved shoulders to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
The areas include from the base of Smokey toward Ingonish, a section in Middle River near Hunters Mountain, Ingonish Centre to Ingonish North and a section in Tarbot.
The province is looking after the construction management of the entire project.
“The $24.8 million from the province, plus the federal contribution of $11.2 million speaks to the importance of the Cabot Trail, not only for Nova Scotia tourism, but for Canadian tourism,” said MacLellan. “This is one that’s been a long time coming. All residents, elected officials at each level, tourism operators — all stakeholders who have a vested interest in the Cabot Trail, which is everybody in Cape Breton — this is something people have been looking to secure for decades.”
MacLellan said, as one of the world’s most scenic destinations, attracting thousands of visitors to Nova Scotia, the Cabot Trail is a key contributor to the province’s tourism industry and economy.
“There is going to be some large-scale work that will take probably a year to design, so we’ll start with the immediate ones like costing and initial design and get into the large-scale
reconstruction projects later.”
MacLellan said the provincial and federal investment will not only make the Cabot Trail safer, it will help contribute to longterm growth and prosperity, especially for tourism.
District 4 Victoria County Coun. Merrill MacInnis said he is pleased the section at the base of Smokey will see improvements.
“That bottleneck has always been a concern for truckers, and for motorcyclists and cyclists as well.”
Cathy Lamey, president of the Baddeck and Area Business and Tourism Association, said the coves and breathtaking vistas have been overshadowed at times by the condition of the
roads.
“As a small business operator in Victoria County, I know how lucky we are to have this worldfamous scenic drive in our backyard,” Lamey said. “It has such a direct impact on the sustainability of my business (Cabot Trail Motel), as well as every business in Cape Breton. People cross that causeway, and their main
goal is the Cabot Trail.”
Chantel Phillips, president of Velo Cape Breton, said the improvements aren’t just for cyclists, but for all the people who travel the Cabot Trail.
“We focus on bringing people here to enjoy the wonders of Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail, but we all need to be able to get on the road safely.”
She said having wider shoulders and improved infrastructure benefits the whole community.
“This may be seen as an expense, but I think it is also an investment in safer roadways which reduce vehicle accidents and improve health outcomes.”