The Municipality of the County of Richmond will be submitting its priority list of roads to the provincial government.
Under the cost shared program for the paving of j-class roads for the fiscal year 2024-2025, Richmond Municipal Council voted at last night’s regular monthly meeting in Arichat to put Kings Road in Rockdale at the top of the list, Touesnard Lane in River Bourgeois in the second spot, in third Forgeron Road in West Arichat, Sampson Road in L’Ardoise fourth, and in the final spot is Lobster Plant Road in Cap Auguet which leads to the I. Deveau facility.
Given the length of Lobster Plant Road and that it serves three dwellings, council determined that the cost of undertaking the full project at once would be significant, noting that councillors might want to explore phasing the work over multiple years. CAO Troy MacCulloch said staff will explore that option.
Noting he has had discussions about Lobster Plant Road, District 1 Councillor Shawn Samson said given the size of the road and the cost, he is fine with its placement on the list. He said the road is graded twice a year, and the biggest need now is more gravel.
After driving along it recently, Warden Lois Landry reported that Forgeron Road is “not in terrible shape,” and is quite short despite the fact there are six dwellings on the road. She said other roads to the north and south, notably Anthony Road and Port Royal Road, are in much worse condition.
Deputy Warden Amanda Mombourquette said she would like to explore the option of double chip seal for Touesnard Lane, an alternative that could reduce costs by as much as 40 per cent.
MacCulloch added that staff will investigate whether chip-sealing is an option.