However, minister says Greater Moncton International Airport interchange will have to wait for now

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By James Foster
Times & Transcript Staff

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Design work, land acquisition and surveying is well underway for a new interchange linking Highway 15 (Veterans' Highway) directly with the Scoudouc Industrial Park.

In contrast, a key overpass that would allow traffic that is leaving the Greater Moncton International Airport far easier access to Moncton via Highway 15 remains in limbo.

But that's not to say there's no action on the file, provincial Minister of Finance Victor Boudreau said yesterday. Boudreau said he recently met with airport CEO Rob Robichaud to discuss a study that lays out the costs and advantages of building an overpass to serve traffic leaving the airport and heading for Moncton, and that report is now in the government's hands.

The airport finds itself in an odd situation. Built alongside Highway 15 (popularly known as the Moncton-Shediac four-lane highway,) traffic travelling from Moncton to the airport can use an efficient four-lane highway to get there.

However, on their return trip into Metro Moncton, traffic must either use much slower Dieppe city streets or head north on Highway 15 for several kilometres and then double back towards Moncton.

Those who cry out that the lack of a proper overpass is hampering development of the entire airport area as a key regional economic cog point to the new interchange slated to start serving the Scoudouc Industrial Park (population: 16 businesses) in the fall of 2010 and wonder if the province has its priorities in the right place.

Boudreau defends the new interchange, however, pointing out that it will take 50,000 large trucks off the semi-rural Highway 132 (the Scoudouc Road) and surrounding streets, making those streets safer, quieter and longer lasting. It will save those trucks approximately 10 kilometres or six miles of travel, making the park a more attractive place in which to do business and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the air.

Actual construction should begin next year, Boudreau said, predicting it will be a catalyst for future growth in the park, which boasts an ample supply of low-cost, low-taxed, well serviced land suitable for a wide variety of industries and manufacturing.

Still, that doesn't change the fact that since the new airport terminal opened at its new location in 2002, development has been hampered by the lack of an overpass or proper interchange to serve traffic flowing both north and south to and from the airport, instead of just north.

Boudreau said cabinet will be looking at the issue in the coming months.