Dangerous Cape Breton road finally repaired after years of complaints about sinking pavement

After years of neglect, a dangerous section of road in central Cape Breton has receivedmore than a "band-aid fix," according to the local county councillor.

Route 223, which runs through part ofJamesville, N.S., has beenslowly breaking apart and falling into a sinkhole. The route around Bras d'Or Lakeis heavily travelled through the summer months, with tourists visiting local attractions and driving through to Halifax.

Victoria County Coun. Paul MacNeil represents the area. He said he knows of many cars that have been damaged on the road, and he said it's a miracle there haven't been anyserious collisions.

"Locals knew what to do, but the tourists and people just going through the area for the first time wouldn't slow down through there and basically they would either go airborne or off the side of the road," MacNeil said. "It was a really dangerous area."

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Last week, he said, the Department of Public Works sent workersto rip up a section of the road in order to level and pave the problem area. While he's happy to see more than a patch job, he still thinks the road needs more attention, and a geological survey.

"This is a good short-term solution and if they keep on doing what they did in the past week, I think people would be happy," MacNeil said.

MacNeil said the problem lies under the roadway where there is a gypsum deposit that runs through the community. The soft mineral erodes easily, causing parts of the road to sink.

He says that's likely to continue even after repairsand the only real solution is to build a bridge over the gypsum deposit.

MacNeil said the road will take more of a beating as a result of people working at arecently reopenedgypsum quarry in nearby Little Narrows. And the road could see even more use ifthere are any closures to upgradetheSeal Island Bridge to the north on Highway 105. He hopes the province looks into finding a way to make the road safer for years to come.

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In an email, the department of Public Works said a contractor will be working inthe area over the coming weeks.