One of the two main routes into Dieppe, N.B. has been shut down since Saturday, causing major headaches for motorists in the area
“Going to downtown Moncton it would probably take you ten to 15 minutes tops,” says taxi driver Robert Duguay. “Now, in the last few days it would take you 45 minutes to an hour and a half.”
Sewer construction is to blame for the traffic tie-up. City crews are replacing one section of pipe but as they dug, they unearthed a much bigger problem, causing the city to close all four lanes of traffic on Acadie Avenue.
“We worked through the excavation. We had to cut though a lot of pipes that we didn’t plan on doing because of the soil conditions and the weather,” says public works director Jacques LeBlanc.
Motorists can usually drive down Acadie Avenue, which becomes Amirault Street, to reach parts of Dieppe. The detour now takes them along Gauvin to Thomas to Chartersville and back to Amirault, coming out about a kilometer from the construction site.
In addition to motorists the 4.5 kilometre detour is a major inconvenience for businesses in the area. About 25,000 cars typically drive down the stretch of road each day, but things have been quiet since the construction started.
“On the weekend we were down about 25 per cent on Friday and Saturday,” says pizza shop owner Ivan Steeves.
A daycare located on the other end of the construction site has had to relax pick-up times and extend their day to allow parents extra time to travel through the detour.
Two of the four lanes have since re-opened, but city officials are asking motorists to continue to allow themselves extra time to reach their destinations.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
