One of the worst roads in Rothesay will not be getting any major repairs for at least a few more years.
The town’s mayor said their latest request to get provincial funding for Rothesay Road was turned down.
Nancy Grant said the busy road, which is a provincially-designated highway, has been at the top of their priority list since 2019. It currently has a pavement condition index of 21 out of 100, she said.
“It actually is dangerous with drivers avoiding potholes and cyclists swerving to avoid holes in the bike lanes. We feel it needs resurfacing now,” Grant said in a recent interview.
Grant said because the road is a provincially-designated highway, the costs for any major capital work such as resurfacing are split with the province. For Rothesay Road, the province would cover 75 per cent of the costs.
The town, she said, applied for $800,000 in funding over three years to resurface the road in sections.
Grant said the most critical section is Appleby Drive and Fox Farm Road, followed by East Riverside Kingshurst Park and Appleby Drive, and Fox Farm Road to the Saint John city limits.
She said the town was told it will be at least 2025 before it sees any provincial funding for Rothesay Road. For now, it means the municipality will have to invest in temporary repairs.
“That means we have to put more money into patching and milling even because just patching only goes so far,” she said.
“I see that as sending good money after bad because eventually, it is going to have to be resurfaced, hopefully in the not too distant future. It’s not cost-effective.”
Grant said she believes the municipal designated highway program is badly underfunded, and municipalities need more financial support.
According to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure’s 2022-23 capital budget, a total of $15 million was earmarked for the program for the whole province.
“It doesn’t seem to be very much. In the past years, it’s been as high as $25 million,” said Grant.
