Washed-out roads
Heavy rains cause extensive damage in Victoria County
Crews with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal are working to repair extensive damage to roads and culverts in Victoria County communities caused by this week’s heavy rain.
“Public safety is our top priority; to respond as quickly as possible, ensure there is traffic control and try to protect the public, is our main goals,” said Victoria County department of transportation area manager Steve MacDonald.
“We are working on a section of the Cabot Trail in Middle River. It should be a couple of days before we get the repairs done and the shoulders reinstated.”
While the work is ongoing, there will be traffic control on site.
MacDonald said once the water receded late Tuesday evening, traffic was opened to a single lane and there was round the clock manned traffic control in that area.
“Staff was there Wednesday morning working on repairs to the shoulder and clearing trees and debris (that) came down from the high waters and
blocked a couple of culverts.”
A large culvert on MacDonald Lane, a local gravel road off the Westside Middle River Road, washed away during heavy rain.
“I‘ve been in contact with the Department of Environment, the regulator on culvert installation. We will do a design review on the correct sizing of the culvert to be reinstated there and submit the application to Environment,” he said. “We will be working on getting that one completed fairly soon.”
Transportation workers will also be doing repairs in a number of other areas of MacDonald Lane this week.
“The residents can get out on the northside of that road, so they were no longer trapped as of Wednesday.”
Transportation is also doing
a design review of a washedout culvert on Westside Middle River Road.
“Once we have the design and know what size is required, we will be working toward getting that work started,” MacDonald said. “It’s an inconvenience for the residents, especially those who live near the site. We will be working as fast as we can on making the repairs to the large culvert on Westside Middle River Road.”
Transportation staff contacted the school board about the disruption as well as local emergency responders.
Bruce MacDonald, who lives on MacDonald Lane off Westside
Middle River Road, said failing infrastructure is at the root of the road problems in his area, adding department of transportation officials were well aware of the issues.
“These culverts are at the end of their useful life,” he said. “The hayfield next to my property is completely flooded. It’s a disaster zone. There is in the vicinity of 80 full-time homes and 40 seasonal on this 18-kilometre stretch of road. In Nova Scotia we pay the highest taxes in this country. It’s disheartening that our basic needs are not being met. ”