Frustrations mount as Fredericton construction season heats up
Joan Huskins says she waited in traffic for an hour trying to get on Princess Margaret Bridge
Summer is traditionally the season for hitting the road, but it's also the season for working on it.
In Fredericton, those two have collided, causing lengthy detours and long lines of traffic as construction projects tighten or close sections of road in several parts of the city.
"I try not to get too frustrated about it, but yeah, yesterday … I was more frustrated than normal," said Joan Huskins, who lives on Fredericton's north side.
Huskins had Wednesday off work and planned to pick up her friend in Pepper Creek at 7 a.m., go across the river at the Princess Margaret Bridge and get on the Trans-Canada Highway to go see another friend in Shediac.
She said after picking up her friend, she turned left from Route 10 onto Route 8, where she hit a line of traffic that snaked all the way to Riverside Drive and onto the Princess Margaret Bridge.
"We weren't moving. Like we did not move probably for half an hour."
Huskins said they finally made it to Riverside Drive after about an hour, but chose to instead turn left onto Route 105, the old highway, then cross the Burton Bridge to get onto the Trans-Canada Highway from Oromocto.
"We would have avoided that route had we known — you know, if there was a sign 'Construction ahead, please … co-ordinate your route accordingly', or 'Expect delays' or, you know, something like that.
"But we were not impressed."
Construction in at least eight sites across Fredericton has resulted in some roads being partially or fully closed to traffic this summer, according to an interactive map on the city's website.
Where Riverside Drive meets the Princess Margaret Bridge has been a particular pinch point in recent days, with two separate projects affecting motorists navigating the area.
The city has closed Riverside Drive to through traffic from Greenwood Drive to Sumac Street, forcing many on the north side to use the Route 8 Marysville Bypass if they want to get on the Princess Margaret Bridge to cross the river.
At the same time, the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is repaving a section of Route 8 between Smythe Street and the Princess Margaret, in addition to continued work to restore the Marysville Bridge, which is now down to just one lane.
CBC News asked for interviews with traffic engineers from the city and the province.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure did not provide an interview, but in an emailed statement spokesperson Kelly Cormier said detours and flaggers are in place to help move traffic through affected areas.
"The department makes every effort to inform the public in advance. These efforts include radio ads and updates on the department's website for larger projects."
Cormier said the public is also encouraged to check the New Brunswick 511 website for updates.
The City of Fredericton did not provide anyone for an interview, either.
In an email, spokesperson Shasta Stairs said the construction projects are being done to upgrade infrastructure related to drinking water, to reduce the risk of flooding and to improve safety.
"We realize that although necessary, these construction projects are impactful to residents," Stairs said.
She said to ensure the public is notified about construction work, the city offers weekly social media updates, a construction e-newsletter, communications via its Voyent Alert! app and alerts on the city's website, and through radio ads and signage.
"If you have questions around specific DTI construction projects and how they communicate their work to the public, those questions are best directed to the province."
Poor communication on closures, says resident
Martin Aitken lives on Colwell Drive, which is a residential street that runs behind the closed portion of Riverside Drive.
He said when Riverside Drive was closed, no signs were put up telling drivers his street wouldn't work as a detour to get around the closure.
"The signage was very poor, and so it created a tremendous amount of confusion," Aitken said.
"It slowed down today, but literally on Monday and Tuesday, hundreds of cars — if not thousands — were coming down here, plus transport trucks, plus everything, and having to make a turn."
Aitken said he tried bringing the issue to someone's attention, but got bounced back and forth between the city and the company contracted to do the work.
St. John Street the new Regent Street, says resident
Another major project in the city is being undertaken on Regent Street between King and George streets.
That's led to an increase in traffic on smaller side streets, with motorists now using them to get to and from the north side via the Westmorland Street Bridge.
"There's kind of a going rhyme that it's the new Regent Street," said Linda Richardson, speaking about the traffic on St. John Street, where she lives.
With a section of Regent Street closed, St. John, which runs parallel directly east of it, has seen bumper-to-bumper traffic at rush hour, Richardson said.
"It's very, very busy, very noisy, but I mean, you know, we are downtown, we tell ourselves.
"Most of the time we back out of our driveway and it's extremely difficult. Most people, you know, will be very decent about making sure that they're, you know, not going too fast. But there's sometimes when it's a little sketchy."
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