Rough road: should the New Brunswick government help maintain private streets?

Road repairs needed in southeastern N.B. The spring melt has exposed some ugly roads in one community in southeastern New Brunswick.

Mike Greene is trying to make the best of a bad situation.

The Pointe-du-Chêne man sits on a lawn chair in the middle of a giant puddle with a measuring tape, not far from where he lives.

Green calls Queen Street and Fernwood Avenue two of the worst roads in all of the Maritimes.

“I actually had an ex-navy buddy visit me this weekend past who has been in many war zones. And he said he’s been in a lot of war zones all around the world with roads a lot better than this and I thought that was pretty telling,” said Greene.

The two private roads are the main arteries in the cottage and retirement community.

There’s no doubt they’re in rough shape, but who is responsible for maintaining them?

Not the municipality of Shediac, according to mayor Roger Caissie.

“The municipality does not provide any maintenance to residents who reside on private roads, whether they are in former local service districts or within the former Town of Shediac municipal limits,” said Caissie in an email.

However, the province does provide some services.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure [DTI] spokesperson Tyler McLean told CTV News the roads are provided winter maintenance services and grading of the private roads is normally carried out twice a year if required.

Once in the spring when plowing is completed and in the fall to prepare for snow removal.

“All additional work on these roads is the responsibility of the private road owner,” said McLean in an email.

Greene doesn’t think that’s fair to tax-paying residents.

“Those permanent residents are paying full municipal taxes and the cottage owners are paying double if they’re not permanent residents. So we’re all paying a large amount of taxes basically for garbage collection and some sewage and that’s it,” said Greene.

Shediac municipal councillor Harry McInroy thinks the same.

He believes DTI should be doing more for residents in the area.

“What they do provide is what’s called a courtesy service,” said McInroy. “Considering the amount of tax dollars that are collected for road maintenance from the Pointe-du-Chêne area, there’s certainly a lot of money that could be put back into upgrading the roads somewhat.”

McInroy suggested having gravel added when grading takes place.

“I’d like to hold DTI to the highest level it can provide through its courtesy service,” said McInroy.

McInroy said he’s been told it will be at least two weeks before grading work can be started because the roads are too wet right now.

Area resident Don Duncan said he drives around Queen Street every day to get home.

“I don’t dare take my vehicle down through there,” said Duncan.

Duncan said someone in the Parlee Beach community has to step up to see that roads are properly maintained.

I think that’s the big thing because it’s a private road,” said Duncan. “So, somebody is eventually going to have to say, ‘Okay, we’ve got the resources, we’ve got the money,’ every year or every couple of years to do repairs on the road for us.”

McInroy, who lives nearby, said he pays almost $1,200 a year for a provincial services tax levied on properties in Pointe-du-Chene just for road maintenance.

“I would encourage the Department of Transportation to spend some of the money that it does collect through residential taxes from Point-du-Chene [residents] and bring it back to apply to some upgrades to the existing roads,” said McInroy. “In my case, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure doesn't even come on our road.”

McInroy said there is an area homeowners association that was responsible for getting a section of the busy Belliveau Beach Road paved last fall.

“The association was very effective in making arrangements to get a grant, actually from the government oddly enough, to have the road repaved, patched and repaved for that particular section,” said McInroy.