More than $8M committed for flooding, safety issues at east Saint John intersection

CBC
·2 min read
The realignment of the Retail Drive area with Ashburn Lake Road will simplify the complicated double intersection and traffic light configuration. (Graham Thompson/CBC - image credit)
The realignment of the Retail Drive area with Ashburn Lake Road will simplify the complicated double intersection and traffic light configuration. (Graham Thompson/CBC - image credit)

A section of Saint John's Retail Drive, on the city's east side, will be raised to avoid flooding and address safety concerns. And the work will be paid for by a combined $8.4 million from municipal, provincial and federal governments.

The upgrade to the storm and sewer system will "reduce the risk of flooding and sewer backups," said Wayne Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay. The project will reconfigure Retail Drive and upgrade storm and sewer piping.

It will raise a section of the road where there's been "persistent flooding and will help support expansion of the East Point shopping district by reconstructing a section of Retail Drive," according to the province's news release."The street will also be aligned with Ashburn Lake Road to improve traffic flow."

The work will include safer crosswalks and accessible ramps, said Long, as well as railway crossing gates and traffic signalling.

Graham Thompson/CBC
Graham Thompson/CBC

Tim O'Reilly, the director of public works for the City of Saint John, said the realignment of the Retail Drive area will create one intersection instead of two.

He said the traffic in the area currently is substantial, often creating long lineups because of the two intersections. O'Reilly said the reconfiguration will decrease wait times for drivers.

This announcement comes on the heels of Friday's infrastructure announcement in Saint John that included the raising of the Courtenay Bay Causeway, also for flood prevention.

Graham Thompson/CBC
Graham Thompson/CBC

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said the intersection on Retail Drive is "probably our worst intersection in the city for accidents."

She also said when she served as a Ward 3 councillor from 2012 until she became mayor, she received a lot of calls about flooding in east Saint John.

Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC
Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC

The funding includes $2.8 million from the federal government, $2.4 million from the province, and just over $3.2 million from the city.

"It's a significant investment for the city. And when you're spending taxpayer dollars, you want to make sure that that investment has return on its investment as well as you go forward," said Reardon.

 

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