Louisbourg-Gabarus road reopening gets support from CBRM

TheCape Breton Regional Municipality has offered official support toefforts by peoplein the Louisbourg/Gabarusarea to get aseven-kilometrestretch ofroad between the two communities reopened.

The highway once travelled by soldiers at the Fortress of Louisbourg was in use for centuries, but the federal government closed itin 1966 when restorationworkbegan on the national historic site.

Regional Mayor CecilClarke said the road isimportant historicallyand would generate economic benefits by boosting tourism.

• Old Louisbourg road to Gabarus should be resurrected, petition said

He said he supports"an integrated and co-ordinated approach to tourism development for roadway access and mobility for citizens.

"All those things are important."

Bill Fiander, who grew up in Louisbourg, has beenbeen lobbying the provincial and federalgovernments.

Phone calls, emails, petition

"I, first of all, started a Facebook site and Istarted emailing various politicians," he said. "Istarted a petition last fall and we got 1,300people on that petition."

Tim Menk, who lives in Gaburusat the other end of the road, said that there werelong-standing commercial ties between the two communities but theyended when the road did,"because it took 15 minutes to get there in the past. Ittakes an hour now to get there."

Economic boon

Fiander said a survey a few years ago by the-then Enterprise Cape BretonCorporation concluded thatthe reopening of the road would be a big boost for Cape Breton tourism overall, by completing the Fleur-de-LisTrail.

"The ECBCstudy indicated that of 1,700surveyed, going around the CabotTrail and at that time there were 400,000people going around the Trail 60 per cent said they would take the Louisbourg-Gabarus road it if was opened," he said.

"So that would mean a lot of people 150,000people along that route would be spending money in Louisbourg and Gabarus and Port Hawkesbury and GlaceBay. This would mean a big thing for the whole area. "

Fiander said having CBRMon-side is an important next step in presenting their case to government.

He said next year's 150th anniversary of Confederation should also help, as funding will be made available for special projects.

A 2008 estimate of the cost to completelyrebuild the road was $20 million, but Fiander said fixing up the old road would be much cheaper.