Recent flooding has resulted in detours around the province of New Brunswick, impacting some businesses along Route 114.
Route 114 connects many communities along the Petitcodiac River to Moncton and is also the fastest way to get to Hopewell Rocks in Hopewell Cape.
A section of the road closed a week ago after it collapsed during the flood and traffic to Hopewell Rocks has dropped significantly as a result.
Hopewell Rocks officially opens for the season on May 16 but some tour groups are scheduled to visit the site before then.
Tourists from Ontario abandoned their trip to the popular site on Tuesday because of the 40-kilometre detour in place.
Officials are now using social media to guide visitors around the washout.
“Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, our website, just to get the word out there to be careful and to keep an eye out for the detours,” says Annick Robichaud, admissions manager at Hopewell Rocks.
Some visitors to the site are also complaining about confusing signs along the detour; the signs tell drivers to go straight, but there is a fork in the road.
“Once there was a separation and there was no sign, but we did the right way, but it was more or less guessing,” says tourist Johannes Hillmann.
Some businesses in the area say they are being affected by the detour; Heather Wilson opened her motel the same day the road closed.
“It does slow the business down. People are calling, wanting to make reservations and you tell them they’ve got to take a detour, they’re not so interested in making the reservation,” says Wilson.
Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Claude Williams says Route 114 sustained serious damage in the flood and the detour could be in place for a while. He says it’s too early to say when repairs will be completed.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
