Town of Riverview releases report on Causeway closure consultation

RIVERVIEW (N.B.) – The Town of Riverview has released a report on findings from public consultations conducted last year to identify challenges and potential solutions during the Province’s planned Causeway closure this year.

“We heard a range of concerns and ideas from residents, commuters, businesses and major employers,” says Colin Smith, the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer. “The public consultations helped to increase awareness about the project, gave an opportunity for people to voice their concerns and got them thinking about how to manage potential challenges.”

The Petitcodiac River Restoration project will see the current Causeway replaced with a steel-girder bridge. The project is expected to address environmental issues that have affected the health of the waterway since the 1960s. Since the Causeway connects the Town of Riverview to the City of Moncton, its closure – scheduled for May to December of this year – is anticipated to impact residents and businesses on both sides of the Petitcodiac.

Last year, the Town of Riverview launched a campaign to proactively identify and address challenges resulting from the planned closure. The campaign, ‘PetitcodiACTION – Moving with You’, included a community engagement session in November as well as an online survey. Feedback from both activities resulted in the final report Petitcodiac Causeway 2021 GNB Construction Disruption Project, presented to Riverview Town Council last night and made public on the Town website today: https://www.townofriverview.ca/sites/default/files/riverview_final_report.pdf.

Highlights of the public consultation report included:

• The consensus among commuters and employers was that the Causeway closing will cause longer traffic lines, which could result in commuters being late for work unless they opt to work from home.
• Residents agreed that a robust public engagement and communications strategy should begin immediately and include a regional approach to signage. The communications should also increase awareness among employers of the closure so they can manage its potential impact.
• A similar awareness message should be communicated to schools, daycares and afterschool programs. Drop-off and pick-up times at such facilities should be extended to relieve parental stress. Financial penalties should be waived for parents who are late picking up children from childcare facilities during the construction period.