Dangerous Cape Breton road finally repaired after years of complaints about sinking pavement
After years of neglect, a dangerous section of road in central Cape Breton has received more than a "band-aid fix," according to the local county councillor.
Route 223, which runs through part of Jamesville, N.S., has been slowly breaking apart and falling into a sinkhole. The route around Bras d'Or Lake is heavily travelled through the summer months, with tourists visiting local attractions and driving through to Halifax.
Victoria County Coun. Paul MacNeil represents the area. He said he knows of many cars that have been damaged on the road, and he said it's a miracle there haven't been any serious collisions.
"Locals knew what to do, but the tourists and people just going through the area for the first time wouldn't slow down through there and basically they would either go airborne or off the side of the road," MacNeil said. "It was a really dangerous area."
Last week, he said, the Department of Public Works sent workers to rip up a section of the road in order to level and pave the problem area. While he's happy to see more than a patch job, he still thinks the road needs more attention, and a geological survey.
"This is a good short-term solution and if they keep on doing what they did in the past week, I think people would be happy," MacNeil said.
MacNeil said the problem lies under the roadway where there is a gypsum deposit that runs through the community. The soft mineral erodes easily, causing parts of the road to sink.
He says that's likely to continue even after repairs and the only real solution is to build a bridge over the gypsum deposit.
Off the edge of the road is an outcrop of gypsum that runs through much of Central Cape Breton. Sinkholes have been the main cause for the subsidence in the road. (Matthew Moore/CBC)
MacNeil said the road will take more of a beating as a result of people working at a recently reopened gypsum quarry in nearby Little Narrows. And the road could see even more use if there are any closures to upgrade the Seal Island Bridge to the north on Highway 105. He hopes the province looks into finding a way to make the road safer for years to come.
In an email, the department of Public Works said a contractor will be working in the area over the coming weeks.
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