 It has been three years since Stephen Robb, owner of the popular store Loella’s in Strait Shores, started an initiative to lobby the provincial government to fix Route 955, which is part of the Acadian Coastal Drive.
Just this past month, all of those efforts have finally paid off, with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Charles (Chuck) Chiasson committing $4 million to the work that needs to be done on the highway.
Early in 2024, Robb and a delegation of seven others went to Fredericton to meet with the Minister of Transportation and his deputies.
Outside of that meeting, Robb has initiated petitions and consistently lobbied government officials, including the minister responsible for economic development and small business. He has also contacted the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, the fire department, the RCMP, Ambulance NB and the Department of Education.
Finally, Robb’s tireless efforts have resulted in a commitment following his meeting with the Minister of Transportation and his deputies this year. He is understandably extremely pleased and says they actually went above and beyond what he had asked for.
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Robb says Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton also played an important supportive role in the push for this highway update.
“She attended the meeting last year with the the minister from the previous Conservative government. She also has been in regular contact with the new Minister of Transportation, and she’s been advocating behind the scenes to get this road done.”
The previous Conservative government’s answer to the public request, supported by Mitton, was $100,000 dollars for patching and repairs, something Robb refers to as a “nothing burger”. He cites the new Liberal Government as being essential for this funding allocation.
“I was a big advocate of a changing government, and I think that the change has resulted in us getting this far in getting this road fixed. We’re talking about, I believe it’s about 25 kilometres, maybe longer, that they’re going to strip down – they refer to it as grinding, grinding it down to the base. Then, applying two surface coats of chip seal over consecutive years. They’re doing the road in three sections. So in effect, it’s gonna take four years to finish the entire road.”
The plan to fix Route 955 includes work to fix the shoulders as well as the ditches and culverts that need attention along the highway. Robb says it was important to address the shoulders in particular.
“A big part of the problem here is that there are no shoulders. So people can’t walk on the road without an imminent fear of death. And they can’t bike here, and we get tons of bikers coming down this road, and it’s dangerous,” he said. “That’s a good part of the reason that I was so passionate about this fight was because I own a store, a popular store where people from other provinces are biking through or hiking through or driving through, complaining about how awful this road is, and it’s a tourist route. So that’s really what kept me going over the past three years.”
The work on Route 955 is slated to begin in the spring of 2026, with the first section from Murray Road to Amos Point Road next year. The two other sections, from Amos Point Road out to Highway 15, and Highway 16 to Murray Road, to be completed in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
