Pictou County fire chief says collisions are proof highway needs twinning

Barneys River Fire Chief Joe MacDonald is adamant that a collision between a truck and a car on Hwy 104 near French River on Tuesday afternoon is further proof that the rest of Hwy 104 between New Glasgow and Antigonish needs to be twinned.

He said that, as is, it’s too dangerous. “If the twinning happened today, that accident wouldn’t have happened,” said MacDonald.

“It has to be done – the sooner the better,” MacDonald said, noting that although he understands there are other dangerous sections of the highway in the province, the stretch of two-lane highway between Antigonish and Sutherlands River should be one of the first the provincial government addresses. There have been 407 accidents, and 16 fatalities since 2009 on that stretch of highway.

The Tuesday afternoon collision resulted in one motorist being transported to hospital.

“There’s a great chance that accident happened because of hydroplaning. That’s how a lot of those kinds of accidents happen on rainy days,” said MacDonald.

“It gives you zero room for error. If your car goes out of control, you’re into another car before you know it.”

MacDonald emphasized that twinning the highway in that area would fix those sorts of issues, and that “head-ons would not be a problem” if the 37-kilometre portion was twinned.

MacDonald is one of many people urging the provincial government to move forward with its plan to have Hwy 104 twinned by 2022.

He and many other residents of Pictou and Antigonish counties are members of a Facebook page called “Twin Trans Canada Highway 104 from Sutherland’s River to Antigonish ASAP.”

MacDonald’s advice to drivers looking to stay safe on the highway is to “slow down and drive for the weather conditions. When it’s raining, you really have to slow down and keep the cruise control off.”