'There's no excuse for it:' Residents push for repairs to Route 955

Poor road conditions, lack of places to buy alcohol taking a toll on tourism in Strait Shores, store owner says

Published Mar 21, 2024 • Last updated Apr 02, 2024 • 5 minute read

Residents living along Route 955 near Murray Beach Provincial Park are asking the province to repair the road, which is known for having eroded shoulders, potholes and poor visibility in the ditches. Photo: SUBMITTED

The owner of a general store in Little Shemogue says the poor road conditions and barriers to get a liquor license take a toll on tourism in the Strait Shores area.

Story continues below

Stephen Robb, who owns Leolla’s Country Market said Route 955, part of the Acadian Coastal Drive that leads to Murray Beach Provincial Park and Prince Edward Island, has been in rough shape for many years.

The road is chip sealed and over time the shoulder of the road has narrowed, making it difficult to walk, bike, and drive large vehicles. Route 955 is also littered with pot holes, and the shrubbery on the side of the road has grown up preventing motorists from spotting animals crossing the road.

“I’m surprised there’s not more accidents. It’s so dangerous,” said Robb.

Robb said many tourists and bikers have stopped at his store to complain about Route 955, and he has watched RVs drive in the middle of the road, swerving to miss large pot holes.

“It’s got to be in the worst condition of any piece of that entire highway system,” he said. “There’s no excuse for it.”

Janice Byer and her husband bought their house on Route 955 about a year ago, and has seen the road deteriorate. She told Brunswick News she no longer feels comfortable driving at night because of the poor visibility in the ditches.

Her husband has a motorcycle and does not often drive it because of the fears of having an accident on Route 955. All visitors to her home, including her daughter, share their disgruntled comments.

“Everybody complains about it,” she said.

When Robb circulated the petition, Byer was one of the people who signed it.

With recent upgrades to the infrastructure and campsites at Murray Beach, Robb and Byer said the road should be fixed to provide a better experience for the cottagers, seasonal residents and tourists.

Story continues below

Brunswick News has asked the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture for comment, but did not receive a response by press time.

Last year, Robb created a petition calling for repairs to the road, and managed to collect over 300 signatures.

He noted the road should be widened, paved and the brush on the side of the road should be trimmed back to give better visibility.

The petition has been given to Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton, and she has raised the issue in the legislature.

Mitton said in an interview she has been hearing about the state of Route 955 since before she was first elected in 2018.

She has been advocating for road repairs and brush cutting on Route 955 and other roads in her riding, such as Route 16 towards the Confederation Bridge.

Mitton said those roads are a safety concern both for tourists and locals, and she noted it also hampers economic development and tourism in the region.

“They’re taking care of newer roads and they’re really just letting a lot of older roads go into disrepair,” she said. “That is completely unacceptable.”

Robb has contacted the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and a meeting has been arranged between DTI minister Richard Ames and a group of eight residents. The meeting is scheduled for April.

DTI spokesperson Tyler McLean confirmed the meeting between the minister and the concerned residents.

“A previous meeting for earlier this month was postponed due to scheduling issues and poor weather,” he said.

Story continues below

Mitton said she also plans to join the residents in the meeting with Ames.

“I’m hopeful that they will listen,” she said.

DTI is planning two separate repairs to sites on Route 955 during the 2024 construction season, said McLean. The repairs include embankment repair and asphalt work near the bridge at Scott Brook just west of Murray Road to correct previous damage from hurricane Dorian in 2019.

The road will also see culvert replacement and riprap protection installed at McMorris Brook to repair damage from Hurricane Fiona.

“All these repairs are made possible through the Disaster Financial Assistance Program,” said McLean.

No alcohol for Loella’s

In addition to poor roads, Robb said he often has residents and tourists come to his store asking to buy alcohol.

The closest place to buy alcohol is in Port Elgin, over 20 km away. Campers at the provincial park and nearby campground say they prefer not to spend over a half hour driving to get a case of beer or bottle of wine, said Robb.

If Robb were able to stock alcohol on the shelves at Loella’s, he said his sales and revenue would be higher, and he would get even more traffic.

He asked Alcool New Brunswick Liquor for the ability to sell alcohol products, but has been repeatedly denied. Robb argues the liquor agency licences are mostly given to larger companies rather than smaller local businesses.

Stephen Robb, owner of Loella’s Country Market in Little Shemogue, said he has been unable to get a liquor agency licence because Alcool New Brunswick Liquor said there are already two stores selling ANBL products between 15-20 minutes away. Photo: SUBMITTED

ANBL spokesperson Angela Bosse said the liquor corporation is aware of Robb’s campaign to get a liquor agency licence, and has communicated with him “several times.”

Story continues below

“Currently, there are two other ANBL agency stores 15 and 20 minutes away from this location, which serve the area’s existing customers,” Bosse said. “Representatives from ANBL have met with them to explain that there are currently no plans to add another agency location in that area.

Bosse said ANBL goes to tender for its agency stories and the tendering process is done through an unbiased request for proposal process.

Applicants must meet the mandatory requirement outlined in the RFP, then the evaluation is done by point scoring of various criteria, such as traffic visibility, storage space, cold room space and available parking.

“This balances ANBL’s mandate to provide strategic points of access to purchase alcohol with its corporate social responsibility to ensure the market is not oversaturated and promote responsible consumption,” she said.

Byer said she would like to see another place to buy liquor instead of traveling to Port Elgin.

“You have to drive for half an hour to get a beer,” she said.

ANBL currently has 90 agency stores in communities throughout NB, in addition to 40 corporate stores, 68 grocery stores selling wine, cider and beer, and over 90 local producer agency stores.

Mitton said she would also like to see more local companies have the ability to be licensed liquor agencies, and she has spoken to ANBL about the subject.

“If we actually care about small businesses we need to put our money where our month is and make sure we aren’t favouring major corporations.”

Editor’s note: This story previously incorrectly said Megan Mitton was first elected in 2020. We regret the error.

Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.