Truck route on Hantsport’s infrastructure shopping list

By Christy Marsters

The Hants journl/NovaNewsNow.com

The federal government is expected to pump more money into municipal infrastructure as the country plunges into economic recession, and this could pave the way for a great opportunity in Hantsport.

Mayor Wayne Folker said talks of running a new road for a truck route leading directly to the town’s industrial area -- from Schurman Road to Prince Street -- first began when Exit 8 was added to Highway 101. But, 35 years ago, funding for the project was unavailable.

The government is currently offering more money for infrastructure projects and the time is right to apply for funds needed to build the new truck route, Folker said. “Once we get the dollars in place… things will fall together easy. This should only take a few month to complete.”

The truck route project is contingent on the money being available through government and local funding partnerships, but a committee has been set in place to see this plan in action. The committee consists of a number of industrial representatives, a representative of Prince Street, a Windsor-Hantsport Railway representative, a Hiltz and Seamone Company consultant, the town mayor, the town CAO, the Public Works chairperson, and the West Hants planner.

This project is important because, without the truck route, it’s expected that about 700 trucks per week will be coming straight through the town by 2010, Folker said. “With the new projects at the mill… it’s becoming a traffic and safety issue with the volume of trucks.”

With big trucks going by and with kids going to school it’s just a matter of time before something happens and this highlights a need for a truck route, Folker said. “Especially, with the highway twinning - it will bring a lot of heavy traffic right past our school zone.”

Also, the truck route would provide a tranquil setting for those who presently have to deal with an intense traffic flow on Prince Street and, in an emergency, it’d be nice for mutual aid to have another means into town, Folker added. “In my time as mayor, I’ve seen the Halfway River Bridge (leading into Hantsport from Exit 8) once flood and once collapse.”