OTTAWA – With the 2018 tourism season fast approaching, Cumberland-Colchester MP Bill Casey is encouraged by the repsonse to his lobbying efforts on behalf of tourism operators along the Glooscap Trail.
Casey has been working with the provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Department to improve signage for the detour around the blocked Rainbow Bridge in Nappan.
“I contacted provincial Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines recently on behalf of the tourism operators along the Glooscap Trail and the Joggins and Advocate area after they brought concerns to me about the signage that re-routes motorists around the closure,” Casey said in a news release. “The detour is too far from the signage for the Glooscap Trail that is currently in place closer to the closed bridge, so they can’t see it. I share their concern that motorists will not know where to go to reach Joggins or Parrsboro after navigating the detour.”
Hines’ response that the province is aware of the tourism operator’s concerns and is looking at the situaion was good news to Casey, who hopes to see the situation rectified before the tourism season gets into full swing later in May.
In his response to Casey’s inquiry, Minister Hines said, “Staff is currently reviewing the affected signage to determine if any action can be taken by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renweal to ensue all temporary detour and highway directional signage is appropriately located to guide visitors along the detour route.”
Casey said it was an issue he will continue to monitor as the tourism season gets closer because he doesn’t want to see local tourism operators along the Glooscap Trail lose visitors, creating a negative impact on the local economy along the Bay of Fundy coast.
