Cabot Trail washout still needs fixing ahead of tourist season

Cabot Trail washout still messy A washout that occurred a few months ago along the Cabot Trail is still not fully repaired, causing detours as tourist season begins.

It's been more than six months since the Gold Brook Bridge along the Cabot Trail in Middle River, N.S., washed out during a storm, and motorists are still asked to take a detour.

For much of the winter following the November wind and rain event, drivers were detoured through a pothole-ridden secondary road.

However, the pavement along the dour route is crumbling away too.

"It just seems like there's no sense of urgency around getting it fixed," said Merv Tingley, owner of The Dancing Goat Café & Bakery in Margaree, N.S.

Tingley says the travel inconvenience hasn't impacted visitor numbers yet, but with the busy tourist season just around the corner he says he is concerned.

"Very worried about the summer”, Tingley said. “You know, if you factor in inflation and gas and then you throw in a detour on top of that -and we have detours in the [Margaree] valley as well."

The initial detour – the West Side Middle River Road - has been patched up.

However, the head of Destination Cape Breton says with the Cabot Trail being the main thing attracting tourists, it needs to be in better shape for the first summer without pandemic restrictions.

"Well, the detour is better than it was a little while ago. There has been some work done to it," said Destination Cape Breton CEO Terry Smith. "We'd like to see the temporary bridge put into place as soon as possible. [Then] for the detour itself, until that bridge can be put into place, there are still some rough spots that we would encourage the province to take a look at."

Nova Scotia’s Department of Public Works said the tender for a temporary detour bridge has been awarded, and that it's expected to be open to traffic by the end of August.

In the meantime, the Department said a contract for repaving of the West Side Middle River Road will be awarded this week.

As for a new permanent bridge, Public Works says construction is expected to be complete in two to three years.