‘Something’s got to give’

Tilley irate over Province’s “snub” to CBS over road work

By Mark Squibb

Gerard Tilley is none too pleased that Conception Bay South has been left off the provincial government’s 2024-2025 road plan.

“This has got me a bit upset,” admitted the Ward 3 councillor during Tuesday night’s public meeting.

Tilley noted Conception Bay South was excluded last year as well.

“I said to myself that maybe there’s a lot of roads across Newfoundland that are probably in more dire shape than what we have here in CBS, but here we are now, year number two, and there’s another $255 million announcement today regarding road infrastructure projects across the province, and CBS, again, a big fat zero,” said Tilley.

He noted that, as per provincial government policy, some of the factors used to determine which roads will be improved include daily traffic volumes, road conditions, and the size of the population being serviced.

Tilley said that given those conditions it was “absolutely ridiculous” that Route 60 was neglected, and invited Transportation and Infrastructure Minister John Abbott to come along with him for a ride down Route 60, particularly along the “Seal Cove rapids.”

“It’s absolutely sickening that we don’t get any funding,” said Tilley. “I don’t know what else we can do, do we take myself and the 26,999 residents of CBS and take a march on Confederation Hill, because that’s what everybody else does.”

Some years back, he added, a study confirmed that Route 60, the main road through CBS, which stretches from St. John’s to Cupids, is one of the busiest in the province.

“To say that we don’t get any funding, that means that we don’t meet the criteria, I think it’s absolutely disgusting, and I’d certainly encourage residents to write their MHAs, and write the minister, and say, ‘Guys, you know, something’s got to give,’” said Tilley.

Tilley did admit that government did undertake some paving in Kelligrews and Foxtrap a few years ago, but pointed out it was not a budgeted project and instead had been covered by some left over funding from another project.

Tilley, who also criticized recent snow clearing efforts on Route 60, wondered whether the “snub” was government’s way of suggesting the Town take over the maintenance of Route 60.

Mayor Darrin Bent said the Town, in conjunction with the Senior’s Advisory committee, recently sent a letter to the provincial government regarding the condition of Route 60 east of Manuel’s bridge and west of Legion Road, and he hoped the road conditions will be addressed in the near future.

Bent observed there is a Seal Cove Road listed in the Province’s road work list for this year, but it is not the Seal Cove in CBS.

The list, which contains dozens of roads across the province, is only a partial list, and will be updated in early 2025.