Fortune Bridge detour has 'not been nice' and is unsafe, say locals

Some drivers in eastern P.E.I. say the detour around Fortune Bridge needs to be improved.

It was raining this morning and it was like driving through ice, basically.- Becky Gates

The bridge is being replaced and the work is expected to take about three more months. The detour around the bridge involves driving down a clay road.

Gene Wood has a plumbing business right by the detourand while he's glad to see the bridge being replaced, he has concerns about the unpaved road.

"What our biggest concerns are is safety. Everybody that comes in here complains about the detour," said Wood.

"It never seemed to be right from day one. We've had dust situations, loose gravel. When it rains it comes to a slime very, very fast, just after a short rain."

He said it's not safe and vehicles are being damaged.

Becky Gates, who works at AquaBounty in Bay Fortune, drives on the road daily, and said sometimes it's a "bit of a nightmare."

"It was raining this morning and it was like driving through ice, basically. Sliding all over the road," she said.

"It's not been nice. At all."

There is another way for her to get to and from work, but it's an even longer detour, she said, and she's never driven it before.

Gates would like to see the 1.8-kilometre stretch paved, which she said would make it safer for everyone.

P.E.I.'s Department of Transportation saysit is aware of concerns, and the road has been graded several times since the detour began.

There are no plans to pave this part of the detour, the department said, but it will monitor the road daily.

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