One of the great things about living in Grand Bay-Westfield is the lack of stop lights. Think of it... we can drive all the way to Saint John and not encounter a single traffic light until we get into the city. For over 20 years I've driven to and from work and only had to contend with two lights on the trip. How many other places can claim that? Quispamsis is riddled with traffic lights. It's not a huge thing but I think the fact we're small enough not to need a light is a plus for a lot of people. I'm not saying that traffic isn't sometimes a problem because it is. Try turning left out of the liquor store on a Friday night. But so far we've managed without traffic controls and most people I think, like it that way.
I bring this up because the province and the town want to know how we feel about the new highway interchange planned for Grand Bay-Westfield. This is the same Highland Road interchange that's been talked about for years. The plan is to build ramps to allow access to and from Highway 7. The design also includes a new core collector road running back into the heart of town. The idea is for this two kilometre stretch of new road to link up with the main business area of town. Some of it would be zoned for commercial development so it would expand the commercial space available in town. Right now there isn't very much room for new businesses along the existing commercial strip on River Valley Drive.
This is an exciting development for Grand Bay-Westfield. Mayor Grace Losier said in a radio interview that this new road would open up over 400 acres in an area that has never seen any development. In addition to the potential for new business this will also allow for the building of new homes. Of course any time development is talked about some people become concerned about 'out of control' development. Most people living here would like to see more stores and services in the town but they aren't prepared to have the area turn into another Quispamsis. This is in no way meant to be taken as a slight toward the Kennebecasis Valley but it's clear the area has grown very quickly with a commercial zone that looks like that found in any other city. I think people in GBW want something different. They clearly want the small town atmosphere preserved. The mayor calls it sustainable growth and says people will have a say in that growth through the review of the municipal plan.
In the meantime you can have your say about the new interchange right now. Proposed project plans and a questionnaire about the project are available on the Department of Transportation's website at http://www.gnb.ca/0113/projects/projects-e.asp. This information is also available at the municipal office, 609 River Valley Dr., Grand Bay-Westfield. Completed questionnaires should be sent to the attention of Mike Taylor by fax (506-453-6714) or by mail to Mike Taylor, Department of Transportation, Design Branch, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, N.B., E3B 5H1. Comments may also be e-mailed to mike.taylor@gnb.ca.
So bring on the new road and highway interchange and all the new housing and stores that might result from it. Just make sure it's done properly. And with another way to get on the highway and another road through town, traffic congestion should actually be lessened. I just hope they can do it all without installing a traffic light.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Super Highway
I can't begin to figure out how many thousands of kilometers I've driven on New Brunswick highways over the past twenty years but it's substantial. Like many people, much of our driving happens in the summer during vacation time. We've made a trip to Ontario almost every year since we've lived here. This summer was no exception. We probably put on over 4,000 km on this trip alone. About a third of the journey happens on New Brunswick highways, so I've gotten to know the road between Grand Bay-Westfield and Edmundston quite well over the years. The drive through New Brunswick always used to be the worst part of the trip, mainly because of the poor state of the two-lane Trans Canada Highway. Not anymore. Today the drive through our province is by far the best part of the journey.
This summer we decided to go through the States on our way to Ontario. As the crow flies, it's a shorter, more direct route through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York. Add to that the saving of almost 30 cents a litre for gas and traveling south of the border makes sense. If you've done the trip you know how pretty it is driving through New England too. But I had forgotten about the winding roads and the towns you hit every five miles. It may be scenic but it's a long, hard drive. After spending a full day motoring through the back roads of New England, we had had enough and the next day changed course and took the Interstate right to the Canadian Border in Niagara Falls. In many ways, driving through New Brunswick used to be like that, but again not anymore.
On the trip home this summer we followed our normal route through Canada and got our first taste of the fully completed, super highway through New Brunswick. The last 98 kilometres of the four-lane Trans-Canada in the province opened last fall. Now the entire 516 km stretch of highway from the Nova Scotia border to the Quebec border is a smooth, divided, four-lane highway. It's safer to drive and much faster. I bet we saved close to an hour on the drive down from Edmundston. Usually there isn't much to see along these super highways, just pavement, rocks and trees. But this road manages to retain some of the scenery of the St. John River Valley with vistas of rolling hills and glimpses of the river here and there. It's just a joy to ride on compared to the bumpy highways through much of Quebec.
This highway did not come cheap. It was built in chunks over the years with funding from both levels of government with a total cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Our premier says the new four-lane Trans-Canada is paving New Brunswick's way to a brighter, safer, self-sufficient future. But there are some concerns over the new road. The town of Hartland is complaining that the number of tourists visiting the longest covered bridge in the world is lower this summer because of a lack of proper signs on the new highway. That problem is being looked into.
The new highway also has long stretches of wildlife fencing on both sides of the road. That'll go a long way to improving safety, especially with a speed limit of 110 km per hour along the entire highway. You can't appreciate just how good this road is until you drive it.
Of course that thrill of traveling on a new highway ended abruptly when we took the Highway 7 exit to Saint John. Yes the road has been improved a lot over the last 20 years and crews are out right now putting up moose fencing, but it's no Trans-Canada. At least not yet. The Welsford bypass is going ahead and one day I'm sure the entire highway between the provinces largest city and new energy hub, and the capital city, will become a four lane super highway too. Until then enjoy the new Trans Canada and give credit to the province for making it a reality.
This summer we decided to go through the States on our way to Ontario. As the crow flies, it's a shorter, more direct route through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York. Add to that the saving of almost 30 cents a litre for gas and traveling south of the border makes sense. If you've done the trip you know how pretty it is driving through New England too. But I had forgotten about the winding roads and the towns you hit every five miles. It may be scenic but it's a long, hard drive. After spending a full day motoring through the back roads of New England, we had had enough and the next day changed course and took the Interstate right to the Canadian Border in Niagara Falls. In many ways, driving through New Brunswick used to be like that, but again not anymore.
On the trip home this summer we followed our normal route through Canada and got our first taste of the fully completed, super highway through New Brunswick. The last 98 kilometres of the four-lane Trans-Canada in the province opened last fall. Now the entire 516 km stretch of highway from the Nova Scotia border to the Quebec border is a smooth, divided, four-lane highway. It's safer to drive and much faster. I bet we saved close to an hour on the drive down from Edmundston. Usually there isn't much to see along these super highways, just pavement, rocks and trees. But this road manages to retain some of the scenery of the St. John River Valley with vistas of rolling hills and glimpses of the river here and there. It's just a joy to ride on compared to the bumpy highways through much of Quebec.
This highway did not come cheap. It was built in chunks over the years with funding from both levels of government with a total cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Our premier says the new four-lane Trans-Canada is paving New Brunswick's way to a brighter, safer, self-sufficient future. But there are some concerns over the new road. The town of Hartland is complaining that the number of tourists visiting the longest covered bridge in the world is lower this summer because of a lack of proper signs on the new highway. That problem is being looked into.
The new highway also has long stretches of wildlife fencing on both sides of the road. That'll go a long way to improving safety, especially with a speed limit of 110 km per hour along the entire highway. You can't appreciate just how good this road is until you drive it.
Of course that thrill of traveling on a new highway ended abruptly when we took the Highway 7 exit to Saint John. Yes the road has been improved a lot over the last 20 years and crews are out right now putting up moose fencing, but it's no Trans-Canada. At least not yet. The Welsford bypass is going ahead and one day I'm sure the entire highway between the provinces largest city and new energy hub, and the capital city, will become a four lane super highway too. Until then enjoy the new Trans Canada and give credit to the province for making it a reality.
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