News Release
Office of the Official Opposition

Foote terms district road work funding as minimal and disappointing

May 12, 2006

"The gap between what was needed for road work in the District of Grand Bank and what was funded in this year’s announcement will leave many sections of road still in bad shape and raises concerns for the safety of those who travel on them," says Foote. " In addition to the motorists who travel Routes 210 and 220 daily for work and medical treatments, busses carry children from their communities to schools daily.

"The majority of the funding announced by the Minister of Transportation and Works for the District of Grand Bank will go for bridge work. Undoubtedly, it is important that this work be done, however, it is equally important that enough funding be allocated to make the roads safe. While it is understood that all of the repairs necessary cannot be carried out in one year, what has been allocated falls short of what this government could have provided, given the amount that will be spent on road work in the province this year. Clearly, this government is not treating the people of the District of Grand Bank fairly," states Foote.

"There are patches of road in the District of Grand Bank that require serious upgrades despite the considerable amount of money that was spent by the previous administration on the roads in the district. Unless the government is willing to spend some of its new found wealth to carry out the necessary repairs, motorists will have to contend with deplorable road conditions for at least another year and possibly longer.

"I am pleased that there will be more work carried out on Route 220 from Epworth to St. Lawrence. There are sections of Route 220 from St. Lawrence to Lawn and Point May to Lamaline that are in terrible shape as well and could have been dealt with in this budget that the minister continues to boast about. I have no problem with the minister’s boasting if the money will indeed be spent and is distributed fairly throughout the province. While I appreciate the work done on Route 210 from Winterland to Garnish last year, it fell far short of what was needed especially when you look at the condition of the road from the turn off to Garnish to the turn off to Frenchman’s Cove.

"If this government is not prepared to provide a reasonable amount of the funding they have allocated for road work throughout the province for the roads in the District of Grand Bank, then I suggest they should consider charging less in fees to the people who live and work there, fees that were raised by this government. People living in my district pay the same $180 for vehicle registration and 16.5 cents gas tax and ought to be treated fairly by a government who claims to be using a significant portion of the extra money coming into the province to boost its roads budget."

Media Contact:
Kim Ploughman
Caucus Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
709-729-6427