Rural Nova Scotia struggling with pothole problems

Potholes are becoming a big problem in rural Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia’s Highway 101 in Nova Scotia runs the length of the Annapolis Valley and in certain areas motorists drive below the speed limit out of concerns for potholes.

“I have to dodge, the police probably think I am drunk going down the road, it’s terrible,” says Katie Shurvell, a Middleton resident.

“You are driving along and if you aren’t paying attention, you could leave half of your vehicle in one pothole and then finish off the other part of your vehicle in the next,” says Robyn Hanson, a Granville Ferry resident.

Potholes are a known problem in bigger cities but smaller towns are also struggling with them.

“My truck is a 2021. I drove it across Canada and it was not a problem, then I drove it here for two years and now it’s just falling apart,” says Racheal Doucette, a Moshers Corner resident.

One common comment many people in Middleton mentioned is that the side streets are easier to drive with fewer potholes than the main streets and highways around there.

“They try their best the town but cutbacks and then the province, cut backs we can’t keep up,” says Robert Macfaye, a Middleton resident.

“I read a joke online once and it was a cartoon and a husband and wife driving and the wife was saying, ‘Look out, there is a piece of road in the pothole.’ It may not be that bad but it’s getting pretty close,” says Hanson.

The potholes are bad enough to inspire the owner of Rockin’ Rogi Diner in Middleton to create a pothole burger.

“It is made with a hole in the top bun and then it is poorly patched with pulled pork,” says Zoey McCredie, Rockin Rogi Diner’s owner and operator.

They won the most creative burger for the Annapolis Valley Burger Wars last year. It quickly became their most popular burger and a viral sensation on social media.

“It was probably the post that popped off the most for us, we had 75,000 views on that post last year for our little place,” says McCredie.

McCredie says despite the joy the pothole burgers brought to the community, the potholes themselves are a frustration for many drivers. Motorists in Middleton say they seem to be getting worse and they just want to see them fixed.

“I don’t know why the roads are so bad here or why they can’t be fixed in a more permanent manner when other places can,” says McCredie.

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