After over a week of having to take the long way around, residents along New Brunswick’s Route 114 may be in for some good news; one lane of the washed-out road could be open by the weekend.
Route 114 is the best way to connect many of the communities along the Petitcodiac River to Moncton. Now, all of that traffic is being diverted to side roads that are not used to seeing so many cars and trucks and the increased traffic is taking its toll on the roads.
“It's affecting our roads a lot more too, because what usually happens is we usually have a weight restriction on our roads, now any traffic has to come through here. So, now the weight restriction is now put out, now it's going to wreck the road,” says Lower Coverdale resident Bradley Morton.
But the detour road is filled with potholes and some are hard to see.
Lower Coverdale resident Courtney Ward estimates traffic is up by 50 per cent. She says speed is an issue; the detour is about 40 kilometres long and she feels motorists try to make up the time they are losing.
“They drive very fast on this road, so that's another reason why, when the kids are out playing, we keep them in the backyard rather than the front, because they drive so fast, it's just not safe,” says Ward.
Crews have been working on Route 114 since mid-week. A partial opening could happen as soon as this weekend.
However, it will take much longer to decide on a permanent fix; assessments are being done to find a solution that will prevent major washouts on Route 114 in the future.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
