Cycling trail connecting Greater Moncton to Parlee Beach expected to open in 2025
Construction of the Shore-Line Trail continues this summer
Elizabeth Raworth needed to get to a medical appointment in Moncton but was stuck for transportation.
The resident of Cap-Acadie in southeastern New Brunswick decided to use her bicycle and travelled along Route 15, a four-lane highway, for part of the trip.
"This is awful," she said as traffic whizzed by her. "We need bike paths."
It won't be long before Raworth will have a safer option to make this trip.
Construction crews are busy this summer clearing and resurfacing a section of a cycling trail that will eventually connect Mill Creek Park in Riverview to Parlee Beach Provincial Park.
The crews are working on a five-kilometre section of an abandoned railway corridor in the Scoudouc area, clearing vegetation and using aggregate materials to create a trail that is suitable for cyclists and walkers.
"It's helping us achieve our goal of trying to connect as many communities via non-motorized trails as we can in the Southeast region," said Marc Leger, the regional trails co-ordinator with Plan 360, a division of the Southeast Regional Service Commission.
"The corridor that exists here today has a lot of mud holes and puddles and holds a lot of water and it's rutted," Leger said.
He said crews are levelling out the surface making it suitable for different kinds of bicycles, in particular a gravel bicycle.
"It's a means to travel to the beach in a different way," he said. "Or for people that live in Shediac and around the beach to travel to Greater Moncton in a different way than they've been able to."
The work is part of a much larger project called the Shore-Line trail, which will be approximately 170 kilometres long stretching from Alma, N.B., to Shediac.
The goal of the Shore-Line trail is to eventually connect three major tourist attractions: Fundy National Park, Hopewell Rocks and Parlee Beach.
Leger said cyclists travelling longer distances in southeastern N.B. must rely on secondary roads and the Trans-Canada Highway which is "less than ideal for cycling."
He said one of the routes cyclists take to get from Moncton to Shediac is along Route 132 through Scoudouc, N.B. where there is "almost non-existent shoulder on both sides."
"For the average person, it's not something they're looking forward to."
Michael Roy said he is "thrilled" about the work being done to finish this stretch of the Shore-Line trail between Greater Moncton and Shediac.
The Moncton resident is an experienced cyclist who will cover distances up to 200 kilometres but he avoids cycling along roads and highways as much as possible after being hit by a car in 2020.
He said he was riding under the overpass of Highway 11, near Richibucto, N.B., when he was "hooked by a large SUV."
The accident left him with a lingering shoulder injury but also "significant" psychological impact.
"Riding on the road brings a significant amount of anxiety compared to riding on the trails and gravel roads."
Roy said he feels a sense of relief when he is away from higher traffic areas and described the development of the cycling trail as "fantastic."
"For me personally as a rider, it means that I get to ride, you know, 80, 100, 120 kilometres at a time without really having to interact with road traffic."
A safer commute
Julie Bélanger said the completion of the Shore-Line Trail will give cyclists access to a safer commute and will allow more people to enjoy an active lifestyle.
"I use my bike all the time, like every day," she said. "This is part of my transportation so I commute to work."
The Shediac resident used to work in Greater Moncton and would often use her bike to get to and from work.
She described the hour-long trek as "refreshing" allowing her to get ready for her day in the morning and a way to "disconnect and leave the work behind" at the end of the day.
She said her routes included Highway 15, Route 132 and Shediac Road but she had some close calls with vehicles.
Bélanger said two of those close calls "scared me a lot."
One time an oversized transportation truck got so close to her as she travelled on the shoulder of the highway that the load being transported "touched" her elbow.
"As a cyclist you always have to be very careful," she said.
Bélanger said the completion of this trail will allow more people to choose cycling as their primary mode of transportation.
Marc Leger said Plan 360 is working with municipalities to connect existing trail networks while rehabilitating other parts of the trail system.
He said crews are also working this summer to extend the Shepody Trail, near Riverside Albert, N.B., and rehabilitating an overgrown former rail corridor in Weldon, near Hillsborough, N.B.
"Those are our primary focuses this year and if other opportunities come along, we will," he said. "We're always building and planning."
He said the work requires permits from the Environment and Local Government departments, as well as meeting with private landowners to access their properties to continue work along the trail system.
"We just kind of build off of what's existing and continue to grow those trail systems until they're fully connected."
Once the trail between Greater Moncton and Shediac is completed, Leger said the group is confident it will be used by people in the "tens of thousands."
Leger said they are "strategic" with how the trail is developed based on the expected number of people using the system.
"We don't want to have to develop too many washroom facilities," he said. "So we try to bring the trail by places that already have those facilities where possible and connect to local businesses."
He said the average cost of building the trail is about $100 per metre depending on the infrastructure needed but it's an investment that will reap economic benefits.
'Dramatic' economic impact anticipated
Leger said the economic impact of this type of trail will be "quite dramatic" once completed.
"Generally speaking when we develop this kind of infrastructure, businesses tend to fill in behind us."
He said the Véloroute in the Acadian Peninsula is a great example of what this could mean for the area.
The Véloroute opened in 2019 but Leger said there were businesses that were "certain" they were going to go out of business after the pandemic was declared.
"Lo and behold because the pandemic really energized outdoor recreation, it brought a lot of people up that way looking for new adventures."
He said businesses in the area thrived and saw a jump in sales from tourists.
Leger said with a larger population in southeastern New Brunswick, he expects even more opportunities for businesses.
"People want to tie in food and drink with their cycling experiences, which is very common nowadays," he said. "There'll be all kinds of business opportunities."
Leger described the timeline to complete this section as "ambitious" but expects it will be completed by late 2025.
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