Retreat from the coast: Nova Scotia prepares to move iconic road to adapt to climate change

The Nova Scotia government is preparing to move an iconic strip of coastal road that has been repeatedly battered by storm surge, marking the latest example of a need to modify public infrastructure to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Lawrencetown Road, also known as Highway 207, slopes down from a headland just west of Lawrencetown Beach and comes within a few metres of the high-tide line. 

The headland, known by locals as "the point," creates a surf break that Vic Ruzgys describes as "the birthplace of surfing in Nova Scotia." He moved to the area 40 years ago for the surf.

Ruzgys, the chair of the coastal access committee for the Surfing Association of Nova Scotia, said he's watched the headland erode about 20 metres in those decades.

"The beach has gotten closer and closer to the highway over that time, and in recent years, during winter storms or tropical hurricanes, when we have large storm surges, they'll throw rocks across the highway into the marsh," Ruzgys said in an interview.

The province has built a rock wall between part of the beach and the road, but some recent storms have overtopped the armour rock, covering the road in ocean water and debris and causing temporary closures. 

Ruzgys said roadblocks have never stayed up more than a day, but a closure of any duration is inconvenient, at best, and potentially dangerous for people who use it as their quickest route to essential services.

Lawrencetown Road is the main artery connecting metro Halifax to communities along the Eastern Shore, including East Lawrencetown, Three Fathom Harbour and Seaforth.

Moving back and up

The solution the province has chosen is to retreat. The Department of Public Works is planning to move about 500 metres of road away from the coast by up to 40 metres. The new route will connect to the old one near the western entrance of Lawrencetown Beach and near the MacDonald House tea room and shops at the top of the headland.

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said it's clear the road is under increasing threat, with storms becoming stronger and more frequent as a result of climate change. He said the realignment is "probably a good call to make sure it's safer moving forward."

He said there are many other areas in the province facing the same problem, pointing to the entire Atlantic coastline from the southwest tip all the way up the Eastern Shore and into Cape Breton.

Snoddon said the Atlantic coast typically takes the first hit from storms as they move in from the ocean, but added that there's a new trend in recent years of storms "stalling out" over Newfoundland and Labrador, driving northerly winds and water toward the Northumberland coast and into Cape Breton. He said Hurricane Fiona, which caused destruction along the north shore of Nova Scotia, is a prime example.

One of the people responsible for the realignment project is Dwayne Cross, a manager of highway planning and design for Public Works.

Cross said so far, Lawrencetown Road hasn't sustained serious damage from any recent storms; it has typically only required cleanup and sometimes a bit of repaving.

"But that is the concern, that as the storms do intensify, how much time is it going to take to do these repairs or what's the duration going to be?" Cross said in an interview.

The lowest part of road will be raised a couple metres, Cross said, and then cut into the hillside to create a smoother grade. 

He said he expects tree clearing to happen this winter, and construction to start and end next year.

Last year, the province announced it has a little over $2 million budgeted for the project, half of which has been provided by the federal government. Cross said some of that money has already been spent on consulting from engineering firm CBCL, who provided a 50-year outlook on the effects of climate change and sea level rise, informing the design.

He said the province is in the process of buying some private land on the north side of the existing road that will be part of the new route.

An opportunity

Ruzgys said he's glad the province is taking this step to protect access to the beach and surrounding communities. He's hoping it will go a step further, and turn the abandoned roadway into more parking for beach users. He'd also like to see added amenities, including washrooms and possibly a look-off.

"Lawrencetown Beach is an underdeveloped jewel of Nova Scotia," said Ruzgys.

Cross said he expects some of the coastline at the west end of the beach will undergo restoration work to reinstate sand dunes and native vegetation, and provide a natural buffer against high tides and storm surges. He said there is not yet a concrete plan for the abandoned road, but discussions are ongoing with stakeholders, including the surfing association.

Those discussions, along with input from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, will play a part in the final decision, he said.

Adapting to climate change

Cross said Lawrencetown Road is not the only coastal road that's vulnerable and needs protecting. This project "is really putting [the issue] on the map for our department and government," he said.

He said there are two other road realignment projects on the horizon — smaller than the one on Lawrencetown Road — and he expects such projects to become more common in an effort to protect what he sees as an asset.

"That's one of the beauties of Nova Scotia is our coastlines, and you get to enjoy them along the scenic drives."

Cross said his department is thinking about climate change and sea level rise for all infrastructure projects, not only those along the coast.

"The storms are getting stronger, intensity is more, we're seeing storm damage [to] bridges, damaged roadways. So we do that analysis and engineering at the front end to make all our roadways more resilient to climate change…. and ensure that it's resilient for a lifetime."