The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has proposed a temporary fix for Route 106.
Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black made the announcement to a crowd of about 30 residents at a municipal roadshow session last night in Dorchester.
Black told the crowd he had just received confirmation from DTI Thursday morning that they intend to construct a one-lane modular Bailey bridge beside the current damaged culvert at Two Mile Brook, to allow drivers through on the 106 between Sackville and Dorchester. The move will take some of the pressure off Woodlawn Road and King Street, which are currently serving as the detour route between the village and the town.
The Bailey bridge will span about 80 feet, said Black, and could take about 4-5 weeks to complete. He said that weather permitting, DTI expects to start work on May 28, and so the project could be completed by July 2. “Which is a lot better than September,” said Black, referring to the latest timeline for a permanent fix to the closure. When the road was first closed at the beginning of April, DTI had predicted a fix by the end of May. But then that was revised to September, much to the chagrin of locals and commuters.
Black said that the temporary solution from DTI came after some pushing from both himself and MLA Megan Mitton.
The temporary Bailey bridge will remain in operation during the permanent repair of the Two Mile Brook crossing, said Black, which means no further closures once it is operational.
“That’s the news we have,” said Black to an animated crowd on Thursday evening. “They will now be accountable for those dates… It will now be July 2nd,” said the mayor, to claps from the audience.
