Residents of Keswick Ridge upset over condition of newly paved highway

Residents in Keswick Ridge, N.B., say they’re upset with the condition of their newly paved road that is now covered in potholes.

Le Farris lives in the area and said portions of Route 616 are “scary to drive on” because of the depth of some of the potholes.

She said it’s frustrating the one-kilometre stretch that was completed in September is now falling apart.

“This was a freshly paved road and they just did it this summer and with all of the permafrost and stuff going on, there are so many potholes and you just don’t expect that after having just a new road for six months … so it’s really disappointing to the people in the community that this new road, all this money spent has come up with this,” Farris said.

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Lloyd Maurey owns a business along Route 616 and said he’s also extremely frustrated.

Farris hasn’t personally reached out to the province but said she wants to create awareness on social media to let people know about what happened.

“I know the community was very excited to have it fixed and now, look at it again, we’ve only had use of it for six months and then it’s back to where it was — so it just seems like all our money is being flushed down the toilet,” Farris said.

She said roads in rural communities aren’t the province’s priority.

Murray said residents want to know who is responsible for signing off on the road inspection and said they want answers from the province.

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In an email from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, spokesperson Jeremy Trevors said the department is responding to a number of road closures in the region following the weekend storm.

“Our staff have visited the site, and while the majority of the road seems to be in good shape, there are three isolated areas with potholes. Warning signs will be placed at those areas, advising motorists of bumps ahead,” Trevors said. “We’ll also be working with the contractor who completed the work to determine what repairs may be required.”