One of Atlantic Canada's worst roads dangerous for school children

The road to Conche is in the running — again — to top the Canadian Automobile Association's Atlantic Canada's Worst Roads list.

This is the third time in six years that Route 434 on the Northern Peninsula has made the list and this year it's neck and neck for first place with a road to Branch, on the Avalon Peninsula.

"The potholes are from side to side and some of them are very deep and you can see where people are travelling on the wrong side of the road to get to Roddickton and also swerving to the soft shoulder to try to avoid the potholes," said Conche Deputy Mayor Charlene Kearney.

Residents say making the CAA's worst roads list is one dubious honour they'd rather not win any year but now they say there is even more reason to pave the dirt road.

Not safe for school children

The local school in Conche, Sacred Heart All Grade, is under review by the English School District for possible closure. If it does shut down, students will be bussed over pothole-pocked Route 434 to school every day.

"Our kids could be looking at an hour-and-a-half each morning and again in the evening," said Kearney.

"If something happened to the bus, who is supervising the children if they have to get off that bus on that gravel road where we have tractor-trailers coming and going all day long to the plant here?" asked Kearney.

"I just feel like our kids are going to be a high risk for injury and for hopefully no fatalities but it's going to be a high risk to them."

I think I'm going to have poor Al Hawkins drove crazy.- Charlene Kearney

Kearney said she has been e-mailing the province's transportation minister repeatedly asking for Route 434 to be paved.

"I think I'm going to have poor Al Hawkins drove crazy. I've been messaging him constantly since Saturday with pictures and videos of the road conditions and I'm going to continue to do that."