Road repairs
Repairs continue to Big Island causeway damaged in last week’s storm
Big Island causeway getting work after last week’s storm damage.
Repairs continue to the Big Island causeway which remained closed after last week’s storm tore through the breaker wall and washed out the community’s only link to the mainland.
“A lot of people here have generators and extra food, so we’re used to this every seven or eight years,” said Robert Lange, a resident of Big Island.
The storm had also knocked out power, which was restored Saturday after Nova Scotia Power crews piled into four-wheelers and used climbing spikes to reach the downed lines atop the power poles.
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal crews are making progress. Since Thursday, some 3,000 tons of material have been brought in to repair the damage.
“It looks a lot better now than it did when I was down there on Thursday and Friday,” said Lange.
Behind the cut in the causeway there is a washout jutting into the Merigomish Harbour that holds the tell-tale signs of mother nature’s latest showcase: a wide expanse of sand some four feet higher than the shore with slabs of asphalt piled and half-buried among boulders and pieces of driftwood.
A spokesperson with the department said the road would be reconnected earlier this week, but will only be passable for light-duty pickup trucks.
It is still unclear when low under carriage vehicles will be able to cross, but the department has said that the temporary singlelane access will be complete by the end of the week.