Highway reopening today as water recedes
New Brunswick has hit a major flood-recovery milestone: Transportation officials hope to reopen the crucial Trans-Canada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton at noon today.
The four-lane stretch — used by an average of 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles daily — has been closed for the past week because of record-breaking flooding in the province.
The water has receded from the road but crews were removing debris Thursday, mainly logs and driftwood, as inspectors walked the route looking for damage.
“The evidence at this point is that there is erosion to the shoulder with a minimal amount of undermining,” said Norm Clouston, general manager of Maritime Road Development Corp., which manages the key stretch of highway.
Premier Brian Gallant announced Thursday that the province has asked the Armed Forces to conduct a “reconnaissance mission” to determine if the military could provide assistance in the cleanup.
“We are asking them to see if there are tasks that are appropriate to delegate to the Canadian Armed Forces during the recovery and cleanup. We certainly hope that the answer will be yes, because we would like to see as much support as possible to try to get the cleanup done as quickly as possible,” Gallant said.
While water levels are receding, Gallant said, there are still many people with flooded properties, and efforts are focused on keeping them safe.
Geoffrey Downey, spokesman for the Emergency Measures Organization, said it may be safe for some residents to return to their homes, but he urged people to take a cautious approach.