'This is 2023, not the 1800s': N.B. residents fed up with road conditions

Fred Young is getting tired of washing his truck three to four times a week, but he just can't keep it clean.

The Harcourt, N.B., resident says he's fed up with the condition of the Emerson and Cails Mills roads which are not paved and have turned into mud bogs in places.

Young said snowplows couldn't clear the roads after a handful of storms this winter.

“So what happens if someone's house is burning in here? How do they get a firetruck or an ambulance or anything in here? You don't,” said Young. “This is 2023, not the 1800s anymore and I would like to see this road chip sealed. It's about time.”

Like Young, Denis Berube has lived in the area, which is about 40 minutes north of Moncton, for 40 years.

This is the worst he's ever seen the roads.

Berube said the roadways service about 25 families in the community and he wants them upgraded to acceptable, modern standards.

“How are we going to get the kind of services we need? What if we need an ambulance to service us? As you get older, you worry about these kinds of things and that’s one of my great concerns,” said Berube.

Young and Berube both said they’ve been trying to get the provincial government to fix these roads for over a decade, but with no luck.

Residents in the area recently started up a petition with close to 300 signatures on it.

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure [DTI] said grading will be carried out on the unpaved portions of the roads.

Denis Berube says the roads near his rural New Brunswick Community are in the worst condition he's ever seen. (Derek Haggett/CTV)

“The needs of Emerson Road and Cails Mills Road are recognized and will be taken into consideration when planning future work, with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Carr also planning to meet with residents regarding conditions in the near future,” said Tyler McLean.

McLean said DTI has had ongoing discussions with area residents over the last two years and is currently finalizing the list of projects for this summer.

“DTI will continue to monitor our road networks and plans to grade the roads immediately, as soon as conditions permit,” said McLean.

Becca Proulx moved to the area from London, Ont., last fall.

She was shocked to see how bad the road conditions were when the snow melted.

“I'm surprised these people have been living here this long and it hasn't been fixed at all and no one seems to want to fix it. It's sad,” said Proulx.

About 25 families use this road to get to and from their homes. Many are fed up with its poor condition. (Derek Haggett/CTV)

Proulx thinks more younger people would want to live in the area if the road conditions were better.

“When you don't have a paved road, it's not really appealing to do so,” said Proulx.

Young said things would only get worse when the frost starts coming out of the ground.

“When it comes out, we're going to be dragging the bottoms of our trucks all through here,” said Young.

The roads are impassable or barely passable several months of the year according to Berube.

“It's beyond belief in this day and age,” said Berube. “It's something that we shouldn't [have to] contend with.”

Berube said the road conditions also disrupt mail delivery and garbage collection.