FALL RIVER: The MLA for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank lists the traffic logjams as a result of the Fall River water project as one of the lows for him in 2018 during a sit down interview with The Laker.
Bill Horne said while there were a lot of good things accomplished, including the water project for the community, it was also on his list as a low because of the construction that led to constant tie-ups—some for as long as 30-45 minutes—for residents.
“It’s probably one of the larger problems we’ve had to deal with,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of calls, some from people stuck in the traffic, a lot of emails, and discussion in the community at events I have attended.”
He did say the positive out of the low is that water was needed in the community—in order to bring it to other places in the future, something he said that will happen.
“I think it ends up that it takes time to improve, and we need the water in the community,” said Horne. “Unfortunately, there were tie-ups.”
Horne said the fire hydrants in what was non hydrant-areas will proof to be a valuable asset to the community and those along Fall River Road and Highway 2 should there be a fire.
He said a low for all of the province has been the health care crisis.
“It’s been a very difficult file to work with,” said Horne. “It’s also one that has been hard for the community, as well as even the politicians, to understand. There’s so many difficult points with doctors, the costs for health care are rising.
“We spend 45 per cent of our budget for the province on health care, but I think we are all coming to the understanding of how we can improve it. It is somewhat limited, but things are improving.”
He said while the province recruits and bring in doctors, just as many retire so it doesn’t even things out.
Horne said a high for him from 2018 is the start of work—mostly design at this point—on the Aerotech Connector in Wellington, as well as the Bedford-Burnside bypass. He also mentioned it as what he is looking forward to see take place in 2019.
“That will certainly help to alleviate some of the traffic on the 118, but by far the new highway between Bedford and Burnside will certainly take away about 25 per cent of our traffic in Fall River.”
He said both of the projects will begin to take shape in 2019, finishing in late 2020.
“It looks like they should be clearing ground in the near future,” he said.
