GUYSBOROUGH: The status of one of the municipality’s roads was a topic of concern during the Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s (MODG) regular monthly council meeting on March 16.
Deputy Warden Janet Peitzsche, who represents District 5, brought up the issue of potholes along the 80-kilometre highway that criss-crosses the municipality, from Canso to the Trans-Canada Highway in Monastery.
“Anybody travel over Route 16 lately?” she asked her fellow councillors. “Oh, my God, it’s terrible.”
Following the meeting, Warden Vernon Pitts told The Reporter Route 16 is not alone, as many roads throughout the municipality, and other rural municipalities are not in good condition.
“Route 16 is in a terrible, deplorable condition,” Pitts said. “My understanding is that the (Department of Public Works) will be doing a section of that towards Upper Big Tracadie and Lincolnville this year; they have to start somewhere.”
The warden suggested he doesn’t expect them to do the whole thing in one year, but if they could do a section per year, until it’s completed, he said that would works.
“We also have quarterly meetings with them, every three months we have them into council at our committee of the whole meeting, and we’ll be bringing it forward at that time too,” Pitts said. “All of our roads are in deplorable shape.”
Despite having some concerns over the status of Route 16, he indicated the municipality has recently made the necessary applications in relation to sidewalks in Guysborough.
“I think that will be good, that will certainly shore up our core area, our business district,” Pitts said. “It’s more of a safety concern; just before you get to the mall, you have that bad turn area there, it’s a wonder no one has been killed there.”
It’s a concern, he said, that needs to be addressed before someone does get hurt there.
“It’ll tie the whole area there together,” Pitts said. “Were going to be doing a fair amount of work in the Canso area, in regards to beautification, we’re going to be doing some wok in Hazel Hill.”
Peitzsche made a motion, which passed unanimously, to send a “strong” letter to the province’s Department of Public Works and request talks with their local representative, Guysborough-Tracadie MLA Greg Morrow about the situation.
“Route 16 is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” the deputy warden said.