Province pledges to look at flood mitigation for highways as Trans-Canada reopens near Jemseg

The New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says it's going to look at possible flood mitigation for highways for future years.

The commitment came Wednesday as the Trans-Canada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton reopened after being closed for six days because of flooding.

This is the second time in a year motorists have been impacted by the closure of the Trans-Canada near Jemseg.

Last year, it was closed for eight days.

The department is planning discussions to look for ways to address the problem, said spokesman Ahmed Dassouki.

"I don't know what the discussing will look like, I don't know what the discussions will discuss, all I know is the discussions will be happening."

The Maritime Road Development Corp., or MRDC, reopened one lane in each direction — eastbound and westbound — near Jemseg around 12:30 p.m., said Al Giberson, general manager and facility manager for the company that maintains the highway.

Speed is reduced to 70 km/h because there is still some water close to the road along that stretch, from kilometre 330 to 339.

The reopening is "a big deal," said Giberson, because the highway is the main artery from the northwestern to southeastern part of the province.

Patience appreciated

The closure, in place since April 24, meant a 90-kilometre detour for motorists.

Giberson thanked them for their patience.

"I know it can be quite stressful if … access is denied to regular routines," he said. "We're just here for public safety."

Jean-Marc Picard, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, said having single lanes open again is welcome news to his members. It will save them both time and money, he said.

It's unclear when the highway will fully reopen.

Crews need to wait for the water levels to get low enough for them to do a complete assessment of the damage, said Giberson.

"Generally speaking, it's in fairly good condition," but there is some erosion along the westbound lane. 

Giberson said he suspects the road will require repairs.

Safety is the main concern, said Dassouki.

"You could have what looks like perfect asphalt, but you don't really know how much soil erosion happened under it, right? So it's a lot of that stuff that we take very seriously."

Other problems can include debris and missing guardrails, he said.