Ghiz to ask feds for Cornwall bypass funds

Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz will lobby the federal government next week for $40 million to build the long-awaited Cornwall bypass highway.

The premier's trip to Ottawa comes just after Cornwall council rejected a proposal for a cheaper alternative route.

Ghiz, who wants the federal government to share the cost of the bypass project, said the negotiations would have been easer if Cornwall had agreed to the cheaper route that had been proposed.

"Well, I guess they'll have to make a choice. There is only so much money from Ottawa and if that's the only option, well that will be up to the Town of Cornwall," Ghiz said.

The Cornwall bypass was promised a decade ago, an infrastructure project that is long overdue, according to Mayor Patrick MacFadyen, who said town council unanimously opposes the alternative route for the long-awaited bypass.

"They wanted to save the money and not build the bridge and bring another highway through the town," MacFadyen said.

The original concept involved connecting the end of the Charlottetown bypass at Upton Road to a second bridge across the North River. The bridge alone would eat up $40 million of the projected $85-million cost of the project.

Under the alternative plan, the bridge would be put on hold. Instead, traffic would continue to cross the North River causeway, joining a new road — parallel to Kingston Road — that would run behind East Wiltshire School. The road would then tie into the original route to take traffic around Cornwall.

The town's mayor said there are problems with the new proposal.

"We definitely have concerns about that because what was promised to us was a bypass around the outskirts of the town. And to bring another highway through the middle of the town was something council wasn't really interested in," MacFadyen said.

Ghiz said he has a list of federal ministers he will be speaking with next week, including Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, P.E.I.'s only cabinet minister, to try to tap into funding from the Atlantic Gateway imitative.

But the premier said he's not sure the bypass will be a priority for Ottawa.

"It's not dead yet, no, but it's still on the negotiating table and if we're able to secure the dollars it will go ahead," Ghiz said. "And if we can't, obviously it won't [go ahead]."