This resident of outport N.L. says millions in repairs has led to no long-term fix to roads

Residents of the small Newfoundland local service district of Fox Island River-Point au Mal say they have little to show for the millions of government dollars that have gone into repairing their roads.

Yve LeRoy told CBC News that storm surges and years of coastal erosion have been answered with short-term solutions, highlighted by a recent storm that brought mounds of rock onto an already damaged road near the water.

"There's just no protection there. They keep coming down and putting Band-Aids on it in the form of small rock. And the sea, it just takes [it]. We get northwest wind here which [is] right directly on the land, and it just takes a beating," LeRoy said.

He said the recent storm kept him and his wife from being able to access their mailbox — about a quarter-kilometre from their home — and forced them to park their vehicles behind their home over fears water could wash them away, or wash out the shoulder of the road.

The community of about 140 people, around 25 kilometres northwest of Stephenville, has been fighting for their road to be properly repaired for over a decade, LeRoy said. Provincial government contracts awarded to fix the road since 2022 were valued at $1.9 million.

LeRoy said one of those tenders was issued in October 2023, and the work still isn't finished.

"We've always stated you got to put big rock there, and you have to dig a trench down to start off," he said.

"But it's not done. I can go down there now and when there's low tide, you can see that everything is just laid on top of the sand and it's just washing out. It's not done right. So all what they did in the last job, it's gone. There's nothing there."

LeRoy said larger rocks installed properly could go a long way, as other areas that have been repaired correctly in the past have stood the test of time.

PC Leader Tony Wakeham told CBC News Wednesday that the province needs to commit to a permanent fix, and says part of the solution should be consultation with the residents of Fox Island River-Point au Mal.

"The people that actually live there, that know the impact of the storm surges, they have a good idea of what needs to happen and how this needs to be built up to prevent it," he said. "We've continued to spend money trying to do that, with no real permanent fix."

Wakeham also voiced concern over the province committing money to fix 1.3 kilometres of the road, arguing the entire two-kilometre stretch should be completed.

CBC News asked the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for an interview, but was emailed a statement by spokesperson Maria Browne. The statement said work delays were due to a contract dispute that has since been resolved.

"The remainder of work on this 1.3 kilometre stretch of road, including slope stabilization between the road and water and paving of the new road, will be completed when the construction season resumes this spring," the statement said.

"The original contract is for 1.3 kilometres. There is an additional section which has a buffer of land between the road and the shore and is not part of the contract. Transportation and Infrastructure will continue to monitor this section for any impacts."

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