Pictou Town Council got an earful from concerned residents about a proposed trucking route in town.
In a public hearing lasting over three and a half hours, groups and individuals laid out their opposition to the plan, which would extend Wellington Street down to the waterfront to allow for longer, oversize loads to be transported to Highway 106.
Proponents of the plan say that the biggest advantage to the new route is that it would cut the time leaving town from nearly four hours under the existing route through the downtown core to less than eight minutes. This would also allow the shipyard to have the capacity to do more work with larger, longer loads, such as wind turbine parts.
Those opposed fear that even if restricted to certain times of the day, the truck traffic would disrupt the neighborhood with excessive noise and truck exhaust, would eliminate some green space, and be a safety risk for children and seniors along the route – which passes near a school. They were also skeptical of the figures showing what financial benefits there would be for the town if the new route is built.
Councillor Robert Fry suggested that there be a special meeting to vote on whether to move forward with the Wellington Street plan – it was decided to hold that meeting at Pictou Council Chambers this Monday, December 23rd at 6:30 pm.