(Photo: from Village of Salisbury)

Road closures on Route 106, Main Street in the Village of Salisbury are creating safety concerns.

The Department of Transportation says the road over McNaughton Brook at the culvert between Larsen Lane and Parkin Street is quickly eroding.

Mayor Robert Campbell says detours are through a small subdivision full of kids and seniors, “The residents are aware and very scared. I have been getting calls daily and in the evening about people who are almost getting hit by vehicles that are flying through despite the signage and the temporary signage with the lower speed limit of 30 kilometres.”

He adds they have been working with the RCMP who were going to increase their presence within the subdivision.

“We need to get people to reduce their speeds as they go through. But, even if we’re lucky enough to get this temporary fix in, we still have three weeks to four weeks that we need to ensure the safety of our residents. We’re looking at bringing in some speed radar signage, and we have looked at temporary speed bumps to put on the streets.  Unfortunately, because of the time of year with winter and snow, you can’t install those because of the snow plows. So we’re continually looking for solutions,” Campbell says.

He adds that almost 7000 cars travel through that area daily, “That’s a significant amount of traffic that is coming through a small subdivision that is obviously ripping up the roads that were obviously never meant for that,” Campbell says.

Detours on Route 106 aren’t new for the residents of Salisbury. The road was previously closed after it washed out, and it was down to one lane since December 2nd after a temporary fix.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times it has washed out, but it’s probably the fourth time, and then there was just a temporary fix. At the end of the day, time is spent diverting traffic through the subdivision while temporary repairs are being done and, each time it has put the residents in that subdivision at risk. It has also been a huge cost to the community. We’ve had to have our Public Works monitor that area to protect the public and ensure that they’re not put in harm’s way when these events occur,” Campbell stated.

A temporary bailey bridge is expected to be installed by the end of the month. Campbell says he has met with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, who have told him they expect to have a more permanent fix by the summer.

Albert MLA Mike Holland says he shares Campbell’s concerns, “I’ve expressed concern over this and the strong desire to see it remedied sooner rather than later. When you’re dealing with an issue of public safety, it’s important to apply haste to the situation and see that it gets solved.”