Local residents deserve to know project timelines, costs
MARGAREE, NS – Inverness MLA Allan MacMaster wants Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan to supply more details about much-needed roadwork on East Margaree Road.
“It’s good news that Minister MacLellan has said his department will complete reconstruction this year,” says MacMaster. “It’s now time the Minister tell people when they can expect work to start and finish, what will be done and how much it will cost.”
The East Margaree Road has become particularly perilous, with the bank sliding away down a steep drop into the river (see attached photos). The road is now down to one lane on a 200-metre stretch dotted with orange pylons.
Local resident Christena Avery hopes that more details will be made public soon.
“I was encouraged to hear Minister MacLellan say that the East Margaree Road would be repaired this year,” says Avery. “My hope is that he is telling the truth. This is a huge safety issue. It needs to be attended to immediately. We deserve to be able to drive on safe roads.”
East Margaree Road, along with other roads, including Deepdale Road in Inverness, has been left to fall into disrepair as funding for the Rural Impact Mitigation (RIM) budget fell 25 per cent since 2008-2009. MacMaster voted against the budget because it left this year’s RIM budget unchanged.
The government has talked about repairs to rural roads. Now it’s time that Minister MacLellan show this year’s detailed plan to repair East Margaree Road.
“I have heard that story before and it didn’t amount to a hill of beans,” says Municipality of the County of Inverness Councillor Gloria LeBlanc.
MacMaster wants Minister MacLellan to keep his word.