An 84-year-old man from Upper Nine Mile River, N.S., who says he’s fed up with the dozens of potholes on his gravel road has started repairing them himself.
“It’s the worst road that I’ve been on,” said Preston Perry, who’s lived on MacIntosh Road since the 1960s. “I had to do something with it because pretty soon somebody’s going to be stuck there or break an axle or something.”
He started using his tractor this week to fill potholes on the road, which is over one kilometre long.
Perry’s other concern is for his wife, 82.
“She had a broken back in a car accident and every time we go over them holes, it hurts her back and she hollers,” he said.
The potholes have been an issue for years, and neighbours have petitioned the government to do something, he added.
Margaret Miller, MLA of Hants East, said road crews will start work in the area in the spring.
“I know they can’t do a perfect job now this time of the year, but you could at least make it passable,” said Perry.
Area residents’ ultimate goal is to get the road paved.
In a phone interview, Devon Pinks, operations supervisor for Hants East Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal said that the road is already on his radar, and that asphalt paving is prioritized based on discussions with communities, elected officials, and municipal officials.
“Criteria that are considered include traffic volume, and the condition of the road in the context of all other paving required in the area and district,” he said.
Perry said that he will continue to fix the road until provincial crews step in.
“My grandson’s got a backhoe,” he added.