$18 million pegged for Westfield Rd. makeover
Published Monday June 1st, 2009
SAINT JOHN - Mike Bonga will not let his children walk or ride their bikes along Westfield Road.
The treacherous, winding road, not wide enough at several points to let two cars and a cyclist pass each other, is too dangerous and not worth the risk, Bonga said.
"I've been a cyclist all my life and I'm generally not all that concerned about my own safety when I'm on a public road, but in this case I am," said Bonga, president of a neighbourhood group that has been lobbying the city for years to repair Westfield Road. "And I won't let my kids anywhere near it."
Many portions of the road don't meet recognized standards for safe vehicle and pedestrian traffic, according to a city staff report - but all that is about to change.
Westfield Road is about to receive a makeover.
Over the next two years, the city is expected to carry out the first phase of a much-anticipated reconstruction project that is said to transform the hazardous road into a safe thoroughfare.
"We've been lobbying for this for several years, so it's really the start of something good and something big for the area," Bonga said. "The pedestrian access is going to turn the road into the standard of a river-front community. It's a community that can develop into something that is quite outstanding with the right kind of infrastructure."
Crews are scheduled to rebuild the road this year from the intersection with Acamac Backland Road to an area west of the Saint John Marina, at a cost of a little more than $1.7 million.
The road between the marina and 2300 Westfield Rd. is expected to be rebuilt next year with a similar price tag.
Paul Groody, commissioner of municipal operations, warned in a report presented to council that it's late in the construction season and companies may not be able to complete all the work scheduled for this year. Some of that work may have to be done next year, he said.
Reconstruction of Westfield Road, a nearly eight-kilometre stretch of pavement, is expected to take seven years, maybe longer, with an $18-million price tag.
The city originally planned to rebuild the road in five years, but the extent of work and the lack of funding from other levels of government right now have created delays of several years.
Still, Councillor Peter McGuire said council's approval of the project's first phase was a turning point for motorists and pedestrians who travel through the west side. McGuire said a rebuilt Westfield Road will enhance public safety, while encouraging more residential growth in the area.
"It's not unlike when previous councils focused on Fairville Boulevard, and now we've got an enhanced road and we've got businesses moving out there," McGuire said. "Out by Westfield Road is a gorgeous piece of Saint John and it's totally underutilized."
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