More than $8M committed for flooding, safety issues at east Saint John intersection

Posted byHannah RudderhamPosted inNews

A section of Saint John’s Retail Drive, on the city’s east side, will be raised to avoid flooding and address safety concerns. And the work will be paid for by a combined $8.4 million from municipal, provincial and federal governments. 

The upgrade to the storm and sewer system will “reduce the risk of flooding and sewer backups,” said Wayne Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay. The project will reconfigure Retail Drive and upgrade storm and sewer piping.

It will raise a section of the road where there’s been “persistent flooding and will help support expansion of the East Point shopping district by reconstructing a section of Retail Drive,” according to the province’s news release.”The street will also be aligned with Ashburn Lake Road to improve traffic flow.”

The work will include safer crosswalks and accessible ramps, said Long, as well as railway crossing gates and traffic signalling.

The intersection of Ashburn Lake Road and Retail Drive. The director of public works for the city said the traffic in the area is “substantial” which often creates long lineups because of the two intersections. (Graham Thompson/CBC)

Tim O’Reilly, the director of public works for the City of Saint John, said the realignment of the Retail Drive area will create one intersection instead of two. 

He said the traffic in the area currently is substantial, often creating long lineups because of the two intersections. O’Reilly said the reconfiguration will decrease wait times for drivers. 

This announcement comes on the heels of Friday’s infrastructure announcement in Saint John that included the raising of the Courtenay Bay Causeway, also for flood prevention.

A man with short hair, facial hair and glasses wearing a suit and tie.
Tim O’Reilly, the director of public works with the City of Saint John, said the realignment of the Retail Drive area will decrease wait times for drivers. (Graham Thompson/CBC)

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said the intersection on Retail Drive is “probably our worst intersection in the city for accidents.”

She also said when she served as a Ward 3 councillor from 2012 until she became mayor, she received a lot of calls about flooding in east Saint John.

A woman with glasses and short hair smiles at the camera
Mayor Donna Reardon said when she served as a Ward 3 councillor from 2012 until she became mayor, she got a lot of calls about flooding in east Saint John. (Hadeel Ibrahim/CBC)

The funding includes $2.8 million from the federal government, $2.4 million from the province, and just over $3.2 million from the city. 

“It’s a significant investment for the city. And when you’re spending taxpayer dollars, you want to make sure that that investment has return on its investment as well as you go forward,” said Reardon.

This story was originally published in CBC News on Dec. 5, 2022.

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