By Mark Squibb
Recent headlines about the sale of a piece of land in Conception Bay South that was expropriated by the Province 14 years ago to pave the way for Peacekeeper’s Way has some residents wondering if government has given up on the idea of twinning the highway between Manuels and Seal Cove as was originally intended.
“I’ve always been told that it was intended to be four lanes, but funding started to dry up,” said Transportation Minister and Conception Bay South MHA Barry Petten, who was not in provincial politics when the highway was first announced. “That’s not official, but that appears to be what happened.”
That expropriated land has since been resold, and a home is being constructed on it, much to the surprise of the property’s original owner, the Stapleton family, who had to give up their cherished home because they were told the government needed it for the highway.
“My family is completely dumbfounded as to how something so traumatic and devastating was pushed upon us with no choice in 2012, and now suddenly it seems the land is in use once again,” said Hannah Stapleton, a medical student who was a child when the family was forced out of their home.
“There’s been a lot of interest, and we’ve gotten a lot of calls to the office about it,” admitted Petten when asked about the highway’s future. “It’s an important issue, and one that I’ve always spoken about, so it’s a fair question.”
Despite the land having recently been sold, Petten thinks the highway could still be twinned.
“It would be welcome here in CBS,” he said. “We’re a growing community. Those infrastructure needs are real. As MHA and also minister, I have the ability to try and push those things along, but they have to be done along with our government and budgetary measures.”
Four years ago, when he was an Opposition member, Petten asked the Province to conduct a safety review of Peacekeeper’s Highway, citing its high traffic volume and a number of fatal accidents. At the time, he noted, the highway had been designated for lane expansion.
Now that he is minister, Petten is hoping to bring his government colleagues onside to support a comprehensive traffic study for CBS, Mount Pearl, Paradise, and St. John’s.
As to whether the highway should be twinned, Petten said he is waiting for the results of that study before giving a definitive answer.
Should the Province ever go ahead with twinning the highway, Petten added, it wouldn’t happen overnight and would cost tens of millions of dollars. The Province would also look to avail of federal funding, he said.
