Canso Causeway Reopened

Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works crews reopened the Canso Causeway to two lanes of traffic around 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8. Sections of the roadbed and pavement had been washed away by the storm on Wednesday evening.

Although the causeway will be open to traffic on Friday, Nov. 9, one 700-metre section will be reduced to one lane of traffic for most of the day, which will mean delays of 10 to 15 minutes at most. Drivers are urged to slow down and observe all signs and traffic directions.

On Thursday, repair crews, bolstered by equipment donations from Strait-area contractors, dumped more than 2,000 tons of rock to rebuild the roadbed and packed gravel onto the surface. The rock was obtained from the nearby quarry at Cape Porcupine. The repair work, estimated to cost approximately $100,000, included two excavators, four large trucks, four tandem units, one backhoe, one sweeper, one front-end loader, and a number of half-ton trucks and other service vehicles.

Crews hope to begin repaving the damaged sections next week.

kjd November 9, 2001