Concerns raised over snow clearing on sections of Route 19 on the South Shore - Action News
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PEI

Concerns raised over snow clearing on sections of Route 19 on the South Shore

Some residents who use Route 19 are concerned about the clearing of ice and snow along sections of the road during the winter months.

'They're always very icy and it's just a little bit treacherous to drive on'

The province says Route 19 is a secondary road and is sanded and plowed the same way as other secondary roads across P.E.I. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

Some residents who use Route 19 are concerned about the clearing of ice and snow along sections of the road during the winter months.

Route 19 connects numerous communities on the South Shore from Rocky Point to DeSable.

It serves as the main road residents take to get to town and people say that when winter rolls in, parts of the route aren't being properly cleared off.

"They don't appear to be plowed properly," said resident SusanTaylor.

"You hardly get any sanding or salting. They're always very icy and it's just a little bit treacherous to drive on."

Afton resident Susan Taylor says the roads can be 'treacherous' to drive on. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

Taylor saidnothing has changed since she moved to Aftonnearly seven years ago.

She saidthe road is fine up to the Afton Community Centre.

"Past that point, people are left to their own devices," Taylor said."Now that it's becoming such a busy area out here with so many homes being built and so many people living out here, it just would be better to see that the roads are salted, plowed in a proper fashion too."

Route 19 runs around the South Shore from Rocky Point to DeSable. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

Peter Bevan-Baker, the MLA for the area, saidit's a public safety issue in the winter and residentshave been reaching out with their concerns.

"I've had over 100 emails or bits of correspondence just in the last year on this stretch of highway," he said.

"I didn't look at all the other highway complaints I've had, but I would say that if that's a barometer of concern then this area is without doubt the thing I hear most about in my district."

Taylor says driving along Route 19 when it has not been cleared can be a scary experience. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

In a written statement to CBC, the province saidthatRoute 19is a secondary road and is plowed like other similar roads across the province.

The province also saidthat beyond the AftonCommunity Centre, the roads are not salted, only sanded.

The department of transportation is currently reviewing the area's road plowing operations.

The province says the road up to the Afton Community Centre is salted and the remainder is sanded like other secondary roads. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

More P.E.I. news

Corrections

  • A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Susan Taylor as Sarah Taylor.
    Jan 03, 2019 9:05 AM AT

With files from Isabella Zavarise