Minimal roadside brush cutting slated for county - Jul. 20, 2010
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Kathy Bockus/Courier
A North West Tree Trimming employees guides a front end loader with a bush hog attachment featuring slashing chains in the brush along Route 760, clearing it away from under power lines.
By JOHN GARDNER
john@stcroixcourier.ca
ST STEPHEN – This is one situation where a tight provincial wallet means there won’t be any cuts.
A funding shortfall has led to the decision to terminate any grass or brush-cutting activity on secondary roads within Charlotte County.
The exception to this is the Board Road from Oak Bay to Tower Hill.
Charlotte Campobello MLA Tony Huntjens said the lack of mowing and cutting is now a safety concern.
“It is getting serious,” he said. “When two cars are going by each other on Little Ridge Road, it isn’t uncommon for you to have to move over far enough for you to hit the tall grasses that are growing there.”
Brush cutting is funded through a tri-party agreement between NB Power, Bell Aliant, and the province of New Brunswick, with each contributing $400,000. Under the terms of this agreement, NB Power which takes the lead in determining where the money will be spent.
The section of the Board Road was determined to be in need of bush cutting, a contract valued at $99,500.
“We should not be doing it this year, because it is not a priority for NB Power,” stated NB Power vegetation manager, James Urbanosky in an email.
The province also kicks in $1.1 million to carry out additional clearing operations. According to Transportation Minister Denis Landry, that is $100,000 more than was in the budget last year.
“We are cutting along highways first because of the numbers of vehicles and the speed. Those are priority number one. Then we are trying to clean the intersections and the signs, and we are trying to do that in the presence of wildlife.”
There are too many roads in the province to make annual trimming realistic, Landry said.
“It is understandable that people are complaining because I have 18,600 kilometres of roads in the province. We can’t cut as much as we want every year.”
Weather plays a role in the growth of brush and grass along the side of the road, and this year Landry said a blend of rain and warm, sunny weather has made for ideal growing conditions.
“If we cut it in the spring, by the end of the summer it will be a metre high again.”
Landry was unable to provide information on any further spot cutting which may be taking place in Charlotte County this year.
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