A fire chief in northern Nova Scotia is making sure government doesn't forget his campaign for highway safety.
For years, Chief Joe MacDonald has been calling for government to twin the 38 kilometre stretch of Highway 104 between Sutherland’s River and Antigonish.
He’s posted a sign that says “Twinned Highways Save Lives” on the Barney’s River Fire Hall, visible to thousands of highway motorists that pass by every day.
“If I can save one life, it'll be well worth it,” said MacDonald. “It’s a great location. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows where the fire department is and they know why it's there.”
MacDonald says since 2009, there have been 329 motor vehicle accidents and 14 fatalities on that section. They include head-on collisions between vehicles of all sizes – from motorcycles up to large transport trucks.
His department is usually part of the first emergency responders to arrive at the scene.
“I've seen the tragedies that come into effect when there's a motor vehicle accident, and I've talked to families and all that stuff,” said MacDonald.
Last summer, the province announced it would conduct a feasibility study to look at twinning and tolling eight sections of highway in the province.
An online petition has gathered more than 5,000 names in hopes of speeding up the process.
“The traffic in general has increased since this highway was originally built,” said petition organizer Tammy MacLaren. “We've outgrown this highway and it needs to be updated.
MacDonald expects the government review of highway twinning to be released sometime in the spring.
“This is the chance of a lifetime for us to get this highway twinned, and if we don't do it now, we might never see it.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh.
