A welcome sight today for residents on both sides of a road washout on New Brunswick's Route 114. After weeks of having to take a detour, construction of a temporary bridge has started.

"It's good to see it in, hopefully it will be in by the long weekend in May," says Bliss Nelson.

Route 114 connects 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 has been closed since March 4 after it collapsed during a flood.

Nelson has family on both sides of the washout. He says he's glad to finally see some real progress.

"They should have known better, it should be been done sooner, but what the heck as long as it gets in and gets done," says Nelson.

Pieces of the temporary bridge arrived over the Easter Weekend and were assembled on site. The metal framing for the bridge was lowered into place Thursday.

At this time; however, the span is still not passable, and there are lingering complaints about a lack of signage and the condition of the detour road. Motorists need to take the long way around, and some tourists are losing their way.

The detour is clearly marked, but there are no signs saying that it is the road to Hopewell Rocks, so some tourists who are following their GPS are missing the detour and have to turn around when they get to the washout.

"We are trying to get to the Hopewell Rock Park, but here we came to the end. It looks like we have to make a detour, and it's a very surprising one," says tourist Yen Chang.

Even when you're on the right road, motorists say the deteriorating conditions make for some white knuckle driving.

"We had to take the other lane to avoid the potholes and the holes. That was an experience," says tourist Vernon Tilley.

Motorists need to drive on the shoulder of the road to avoid craters in some places. The bumpy ride is taking a toll on those who need to follow this route regularly.

"I've lost a windshield, I’ve got a broken coil in the front and the shocks are beat, just from running over this road," says courier driver Ken Sanford.

Officials from the N.B. Department of Transportation say they are targeting a mid-May re-opening for Route 114.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis.