Minister addresses road maintenance in western region  

Tom Rideout, Minister of Transportation and Works, today addressed the construction of the access road connecting Massey Drive to the Industrial Access Road in Corner Brook and the maintenance of the north shore road in the Bay of Islands District.  

�The work to construct an access road to connect Massey Drive to the Lewin Parkway is a project that was initiated by the previous administration,� said Minister Rideout.  �Approximately $400,000 was invested into this project at that time, and rather than let the initial stages of this work be wasted, we are simply working to complete it.�  

The minister added that this road, once completed, will be the responsibility of the Town of Massey Drive , and not the Department of Transportation and Works.  This includes further maintenance, including paving.  

Minister Rideout also commented on the condition of the north shore road in the Bay of Islands District.  

�Our department develops a list of priorities for road improvements based on recommendations from our senior officials, but also from MHAs and the general public,� said the minister.  �Roads are evaluated based on a number of criteria, including how frequently they are used, the overall condition of the road and its economic impact, just to name a few criteria.  

�Each road is rated based on individual criteria, and a priority list is developed based on total ratings for all criteria combined.�   Minister Rideout said that road projects are completed based on this list, and unfortunately not all roads, including the north shore road in the Bay of Islands District, can see upgrades under one annual roads program.  

�We must allocate funding for road work in as efficient a manner as possible,� said the minister. �The north shore road in Bay of Islands District was not identified as being a top priority during this summer�s program.  According to our expert staff who evaluate our roads, there are many roads in our western region that required more attention than this one this year.�  

According to the department�s priority list, there are 40 potential road projects in the province�s western region that require more immediate attention than the north shore road.  

Media contact: Lori Lee Oates, ABC, Communications, (709) 729-3015 , 690-8403  

2005 08 01                                                      10:10 a.m.