Large cargo to move through Saint John’s Lower West Side next month

Dozens of oversized cargo shipments in Saint John, N.B., are expected to cause traffic issues.

The City of Saint John is letting residents of the Lower West Side know that some large cargo will be coming through their neighborhood in the weeks ahead.

Beginning June 1 until June 19, around 101 unspecified overweight and/or oversized loads will be making the short trek from Port Saint John’s Lower West terminal to the Irving Pulp and Paper mill around two kilometers away.

The mill is currently in the midst of a $1.5 billion upgrade to increase efficiency and green energy capabilities dubbed Project NextGen.

Anne McInerney, vice-president of communications for J.D. Irving, confirmed to CTV News Atlantic the large cargo coming to the site is related to the ongoing upgrades at the facility, but couldn’t comment on what exactly is in the oversized loads.

She also told CTV News more large loads will be coming to the mill’s site this summer, but that bulk of shipments will be so big it will have to be taken up river to the Irving property and lifted off a barge via a crane.

The bulk of the cargo will be moved along Highway 1, but around 30 loads will be sticking on the town’s streets, subject to approval.

Total Transport and Rigging is the contractor completing the oversized and overweight load movements, according to the city.

Those 30 oversized loads will be brought up King Street West from the port property, then turn on to Ludlow Street for 77 metres, then head up Prince Street. From there, the loads will go down Lancaster Avenue, through Simms Corner and arrive at the mill property.

The movements are expected to happen Monday to Friday, twice daily between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., then again in the afternoon between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Police escorts will be required for the oversized loads, and temporary parking restrictions will be in place during those times.

The city is asking residents not to park on the south side of Ludlow Street from Prince Street to King Street West, or along the east side of King Street West from Ludlow Street to 245 King Street West during the movement times. Vehicles that remain in the area may impact movement of the loads, resulting in vehicles being towed.

“Our focus is on public safety, minimizing disruption to residents and road users, and ensuring affected residents and businesses receive as much advance notice as possible,” says Saint John director of external relations, Lisa Kennedy. “We recognize the concerns residents in the Lower West Side have raised about truck traffic and industrial impacts, and we are working to ensure these movements are communicated clearly and managed as safely as possible.”

The city says they do not regulate nor approve this type of movement. The decision is made by entities such as New Brunswick’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Traffic could be made worse at times over the next few weeks thanks to ongoing work on the Harbour Bridge, if schedules overlap.

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