N.B. news: Residents deal with road washout

It’s been almost a week since heavy rains washed away a culvert road in the community of Harewood, N.B., not far from Salisbury.

The Wilson Brook culvert on Route 112 washed out last Thursday leaving a broken road behind.

Alex Lewis lives right next door and said when his mother came home from work at 7 a.m. she was out of breath.

“She said, ‘You got to see this, you got to see this. This is crazy,’ and I’m thinking, ‘What can be going on?’ So I come out here and there’s just, no road. I don’t know, that kind of threw me off,” said Lewis.

Residents on the west side of the washout heading to Salisbury, Moncton or other communities now have to deal with a detour.

Franchesca Savoie and her boyfriend have to use a side road to get to work in Moncton.

“Usually we just go from here and it’s like 11 minutes. Now, we need to have a 20-minute detour plus all the other drive,” said Savoie.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson Tyler McLean said the province is assessing a path forward for future repairs to the culvert.

“The stretch east of Harewood remains closed to traffic,” said McLean in an email. “A signed detour is available using Alward Road and Route 880.”

McLean didn’t say when repairs would begin.

Havelock Fire Rescue Chief Anthony Demont said where the washout occurred is an area where both they and firefighters from Salisbury serve.

“The biggest issue is mutual aid calls, requesting assistance between departments. We’ve got to take quite a detour to be able to assist the other departments,” said Demont.

The Wilson Brook culvert on Route 112 in New Brunswick washed out and broke the road. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)The chief said there haven’t been any emergency calls since the washout last Thursday.

He’s also concerned about the condition of the detour route which he said has been compromised.

“The alternative route that we have, going through the [Route] 880 to reconnect on the Route 112 in Second North River, there’s also a washout there. The road is down to one lane,” said Demont. “That one lane, it is passable, but it has a washout in that lane also through the asphalt.”

Lewis said he’s seen numerous people coming to check out what Mother Nature has done, and he’s worried for their safety.

“A lot of sightseers definitely coming by at all times of the day. A lot of people are coming out here with their kids and bringing their dogs and stuff. I see it’s quite dangerous there where our road keeps decaying back,” said Lewis.

The road will be closed for the foreseeable future.

McLean said motorists can continue to check NB 511 for updates.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.