High Street still waiting for paving

A truck slows as it approaches the gravel section on High Street near Midway Road. – © J. René Roy

PORT AUX BASQUES – A section of High Street near Midway Road has been unpaved for quite some time, and Town Manager Leon MacIsaac says the town is currently waiting on availability of asphalt contractors to complete the job.

The repair work was part of the Taylor’s Lane – Anderson’s Lane stormwater upgrades project. Taylor’s Lane was completed last year, and Anderson’s Lane is the section currently awaiting completion.

“Both parts of the project included excavating existing roadways, replacement of existing stormwater piping and then reinstatement of roadworks. Both portions of the project also included construction of large drop manhole structures, which are visible from the TCH (TransCanada Highway) below,” stated MacIsaac via e-mail.

All of the work coincides with the upcoming Grand Bay Bottom Sanitary Sewer project. Existing sanitary sewer lines, which were connected to the stormwater system, have been relocated to a dedicated sanitary system and will be connected to a treatment system on the Grand Bay Bottom project.

When asked about the recurring cost of maintaining the gravel section, MacIsaac replied, “As with any project, maintenance and upkeep of the gravel roadway is taken into consideration until asphalt can be applied.”

Port aux Basques does have an asphalt recycler machine for small patchwork, but it is unable to handle the work for larger jobs such as the one in question.

As for when the rough section might get paved, MacIsaac wrote that the latest information he received points to the first week of September, adding “We are several hours from the nearest asphalt contractor and have to wait until they arrive in the area in order to have paving completed. This is typical every year unless we are fortunate to have the Department of Transportation and Works completing large contracts in the area.”

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