Thirty-three years too long for Highway 103 – MLA

After the initial shock, Conrad says she started lobbying for the bypass and upgrade to 100 Series standards from nearly day one of her term almost three years ago.

She says she expects the Tory government will keep promises personally made to residents through her to finally start the project, especially with economic stimulus infrastructure monies that were made available by the federal government through its Jan. 27 budget. “I am fully expecting this (provincial) government to be accountable to us here in Queens Co. We’ve been waiting for far too long for it to be up to Series grade. I will be holding the governments’ feet to the fire, both provincially and federally.”

But she doesn’t have a lot of faith in South Shore-St. Margaret’s MP Gerald Keddy’s promises – ones that increased during the federal election - that the highway section is a government priority. “I haven’t held out a lot of optimism for Mr. Keddy’s direction because he hasn’t been able to deliver during the last 10 years.”

Conrad adds she hopes she is wrong but that at her request the assistant to federal NDP Transportation and Infrastructure Critic, Dennis Bevington did some research for her.

About two weeks ago, she says, “We got the answer back on whether it’s on the list at this point and this project didn’t exist on any list federally. If it’s to go ahead, it’s up to the province to make the decision,” with existing funding.

Once again, she says she hopes something has changed, especially with the stimulus budget.

Keddy says the federal government, with the new budget, is offering provinces and territories an opportunity to utilize base funds ($25-million in Nova Scotia) from fiscal 2011-12 in next year’s budget for 100 Series highways. “I very much believe it is important for the economy of southwestern Nova Scotia. I’m expecting with the new dollars that we should be able to facilitate getting it started.”

He continues. “I appreciate that the critics can look it up and see if it’s on the list. I could have told them that because the highway isn’t part of the (TransCanada) highway system.”

He says it’s his job to ensure the work is done, something he has been advocating strongly for during his terms in office. “Talk is cheap as a critic,” he says in response to Conrad’s comments. “I would suggest working in a positive way to pursue government, instead of criticizing me, to get it done. We will get this piece of road built.”

Conrad says she has maintained a record of correspondence with the government, and recently sent another letter to new Transportation Minister Brooke Taylor, who she also briefly talked to about the project. “In Sept. 2007, the Minister of Transportation (Angus MacIsaac at the time) gave me his word they were going to be ready to move ahead with at least part of the project.” She says it is as close to shovel-ready as any project in that plans were formulated decades ago.

She says they will need to be adjusted to “accommodate changes in density and traffic load” and an environmental assessment usually takes about a year. She adds property negotiations are also necessary.

However, she says she would be disappointed if the provincial government hasn’t been working on some of these preliminary aspects of the project, given the amount of time that has passed. “If the minister has kept his word and things are moving forward I imagine we’re just about ready. If some of it has taken place, it should only take two or three years (to be completed.) This has been on someone’s desk in some blueprint form for close to 33 years.” She says (Transportation) staff has advised her “it’s just a matter of dusting off those plans.”

Conrad adds infrastructure projects need to make economic sense, not just create jobs alone. In this case, she says, “This piece of highway makes economic sense in this community, Shelburne Co., and to the communities beyond. That stretch of highway is a gateway, a major artery to the end of our province in Yarmouth (where ferry service is) and to Bangor, Maine and beyond.”

She says the highway is a major safety issue as well, especially in the winding Shelburne and Queens Co. border area.