The Bay of Fundy is beautiful even on a cold winter day, but one spot in Saint John has some residents thinking the water is getting too close for comfort.
The land under Sand Cove Road is giving way, and with traffic being reduced to one lane through a section of it, people say it’s not getting better.
“It’s getting more serious every day and talking to some of the neighbours, they’re seeing a difference, you know, weekly,” said area resident Willa Mavis.
Mavis has seen the power and weight of Mother Nature first hand on her outdoor fireplace.
“We literally woke up one day and our barbeque had dropped six feet and it didn’t even topple over. I guess its really well-made.”
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Mavis’s next-door neighbour can only access his home through the front door, as there’s nowhere to go but down in the back.
The city is aware of the problem and has suggested going around the problem behind a nearby cemetery. At least one councillor isn’t sure it’s a viable solution.
“It also wouldn’t solve the city’s problems either, because we have infrastructure underneath that road,” said Ward 1 Coun. Bill Farren. “So you know its a double-edged sword.”
Mavis and her neighbours have been speaking with engineers who suggest a breakwater might be the solution. She says it’s relatively inexpensive, perhaps as low as $3 million.
“So weigh that against 10 homes and what the value of those homes would be, the taxes over the next several years would be,” she said.
Farren says he has heard of the breakwater solution, which he said he has heard “the engineers don’t think will work”
“We haven’t really gone in-depth to find out whether it will or will not work,” he said.
Whatever the solution, Farren thinks it should involve the existing roadway.
“Old road is the way to go because of our infrastructure, and because of the peoples’ property there. I mean they have homes there and they need to be protected,” he said.
The affected residents have formed a committee, which will meet for the first time on Sunday afternoon to decide what their next move should be.
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