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HOME / TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY REALIGNMENT /

FAQs

Why is it being done, and does it need to be done?

• The Trans-Canada is our busiest route, our main trade corridor, and most important highway.  It must be held to higher standards than secondary roads.


• It is under-designed for today's standards and traffic patterns.  Smoothing out turns and making small fixes is not an option.  The fact that there is a problem cannot be ignored.


• The alignment was designed in the 1950s.  Since then, traffic has steadily increased.  It is now used by an average of 6,350 vehicles per day, of which 630 are trucks.


• The radius of five turns is well below the minimum standard of 440 metres.  Many curves have a radius much closer to 330 metres which is far too sharp.


• The hills are too steep going up and down, making it hard to maintain a reasonable speed.


• There are 6 highway intersections and 34 points where people have no choice but to access the major high speed arterial highway directly.


• Smoothing the turns is not possible because of the location of the CBC Tower and nearby Natural Areas Protection Act (NAPA) protected lands.  It would cost upward of $10 million to move the tower in order to smooth the two curves at the west end of the corridor.  Smoothing the curves would compromise NAPA lands and it would not address the steep grade of the hills or address the access points.

• It respects the wishes of the public to avoid construction in the park, on NAPA land, and on Cotton Trust land.  Read feedback summary [PDF file]


• It eliminates five sharp curves, four in Churchill and one in New Haven.


• It eliminates over 20 driveway accesses.


• It decreases the steepness of the hills by almost half.


• It will improve intersections and provide better access to Strathgartney Park.


• The Bonshaw bridge will be widened from two to three lanes and it will include turning lanes, as requested by residents.


• There will be no loss of parkland or protected land.

• Of the 33 properties acquired, there are nine residential homes, two commercial properties (one of which is technically two parcels), two subdivision properties, five vacant residential properties, eight farmland properties and six woodland lots. The department was able to reach agreements with all homeowners.


• 71 acres are required for the project. Of this, 32 acres are forested, 18 have potential for agriculture, and 21 acres are scrub land.

• Even if the province did not have access to federal funding it would still have to plan for the realignment of the Trans-Canada highway between Borden and Charlottetown because many sections do not meet the Transportation Association of Canada guidelines.


• When a department operates a highway and allows the travelling public to use it they have a “Duty of Care” to ensure that the road is as safe as it can be.


• The provincial funding is coming from the existing capital works budget for road improvements.


• Federal funding from Atlantic Gateway cannot be used for another project in other areas such as health care. It can only be used for projects that pass the merit criteria and have had a business plan approved.

• This project will not destroy wetlands but in fact will improve the wetlands by moving the south end of Peter’s Road.


• Impact to the old growth hemlock forest will be minimized and will only affect approximately 1.4 per cent of this area – fewer than 10 trees.

• The alignment does not go through any park land or protected lands. In fact there will be improvements made to the entrance of Strathgartney Park and increased parking at the look-out site.

• No. There is no shale pit on the site and there is no need for one to be constructed. This is a “cut and fill” project, meaning that the material in the areas that need to be cut will be used and placed in the areas that require fill. There is a privately-owned shale pit on property next to the project but it will not be used for the project.