Atlantic Canada's 'worst road' may lose infamous status, thanks to paving contract

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has released its annual list of the worst roads in Atlantic Canada, although residents in one community hope they will soon lose that dubious distinction.

Mark Squibb CBC News Posted: May 17, 2016 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 17, 2016

Residents of Point Lance have been protesting road conditions for years. (Submitted by Jane Power)

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has released itsannual list of the worst roads in Atlantic Canada, although residents in one community hope they will soon lose thatdubious distinction.

The road betweenPoint Lance and Branch, on the Avalon Peninsula,ranked No. 1 onthe CAA's regional list of the worst roads. Highway 434 in Conche, on the Northern Peninsula, took second spot.

"I'd call them craters for sure," saidJane Power, town clerk of Point Lance, adding thatit isno surprise that the road took the top spot on the list of worst roads.

"It's really bad.There's not a section that doesn't have ruts and holes in it."

5 year old trying to fix Point Lance road with dirt & gravel. Tell me again about the levy? @CBCNL @VOCMNEWS #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/36iky0HKtp
—@NashChantel

The road is a 10-km stretch that connects the communityof about 110 people to Route 100, or the Cape Shore Highway.

Power saidshe has been writing letters to government about the poor condition of the road since 2010, and addedthat the town has been '"very vocal"about the need of government to fix the road.

Protests appear to have paid off

"We've had protestseven yearsback,we've had protests.We had a protesta couple of weeks ago where the parents kept the kids home from school for the day," said Power.

Residents of Point Lance turned out in force to vote in CAA's annual "worst roads" competition. (Submitted by Jane Power)

She heard about the CAA's worst road list campaign through a friend and organized a voting committee in hopes that if the road made the top spot, the town might finally see some change.

The town's years of hard work shouldsoon pay off.

In late April, the town received a commitment from the Newfoundland and Labradorgovernment that ninekilometresof the road would be paved and repaired.

"I was so delighted I nearly cried,"said Power.

She said that for the community, the newswas "just like Christmas."

Surveying and assessment of the road has already begun, according to Power.

More than5,000 votes were collected for roads in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

In total, 5,204 votes where collected, and of those, 1,860 votes where cast from Newfoundland and Labrador.

CAA said the Worst Roads campaign allows the public to identify the roads in their area that are in particularly rough shape or present dangerous driving conditions."

CAA'slist of Atlantic Canada's worst roads, as voted by Atlantic Canadians, are:

Point Lance (Branch, N.L.)
Highway 434 (Conche, N.L.)
Lake Road (Tatamagouche, N.S.)
Nova Scotia 354 (Upper Rawdon, N.S.)
Marble Mountain Road (River Denys, N.S)
Scott Siding Road (Canterbury, N.B.)
Pembroke Road (Upper Stewiacke, N.S.)
Caribou Road (Channel-Port aux Basques, N.L.)
Staples Brook Road (Debert, N.S.)
Mabou Mines Road (Mabou, N.S.)

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Atlantic Canada's 'worst road' may lose infamous status, thanks to paving contract

Protests appear to have paid off

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