‘We’re loving it’: Darlings Island residents welcome flood-mitigating road work

There’s joy on Darlings Island, New Brunswick.

Work is underway to raise part of the road that connects the island to the mainland, just east of Saint John — a road that has always been susceptible to flooding.

“We’re loving it,” said Lynn Browne, who has called Darlings Island home for more than three decades, referring to the stream of dump trucks working on the road each day.

While spring flooding has been a constant threat, the historic flooding in the southern part of the province the past two years has been especially taxing, with the only way off the island being by boat.

“This year was a week earlier than the others and it was very cold wet and windy when we were travelling on the boat,” explained Browne. “We travelled for 13 days on the boat this year.”

While many people would say it should have happened much earlier, the province took action this year by applying for federal disaster relief assistance.

WATCH: (May 3, 2019) N.B. health and safety inspection teams head to flood-affected zones

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About one kilometre of the road is being realigned and raised, parts of it by as much as two metres. Next spring, the plan is that getting off the island by boat will no longer be required.

There’s hope going forward the new look road could result in new people calling Darlings Island home.

“Maybe some people wouldn’t come here for a while because they knew we had the flood each year but now I’m thinking that it will open it up for everybody,” said Browne “And they’ll be glad to come.”

Little time is being wasted getting the work done. The road raising and realignment is expected to be completed by late fall.