Heavy rains cause 'fairly severe' washouts along section of Cabot Trail

A Cape Breton roadway known for its sharp turns and steep inclines is now dotted with pylons, gravel washouts and crumbling pavement.

Steve MacDonald, Department of Public Works manager for Inverness North and Victoria County, said 40 sites were hard hit in Cape Breton by recent storms, including portions of the Cabot Trail on Cape Smokey mountain that saw "fairly severe gravel shoulder washouts."

He said the damage, which will cost an estimated $1.5 million to repair, was caused by heavy rainfall, including a July 23 storm that led to significant flooding and four deaths in other parts of the province. 

 "We had some situations where we had gravel wash out onto the paved surfaces," he said, adding that workers were out on Monday doing repairs.

Some of the washouts are two or three feet deep, he said, "but they all need to be repaired. So that's the focus now, to prioritize to get the repair work underway."

Most of the damage happened on the south side of Cape Smokey, MacDonald said.

Three years ago, the province spent $11 million upgrading that stretch of road, widening the paved shoulders and adding asphalt gutters for rain.

Two weeks of repairs 

The work to repair Cape Smokey will begin on Monday and is expected to take two weeks.

MacDonald said drivers should be cautious when travelling in the area. 

"There's no major infrastructure concerns at this time, any major failures. The supervisor's been through and assessing the areas, and I have no reports of any major damage," he said. 

"Cape Smokey, as many people may know, is a steep 13 or 14 per cent grade on the mountain, a lot of twisty-turny areas, so when you do see the construction signs or workers, please be cautious of that."

Damage was also reported at several culverts and bridges in the Baddeck area, including a bridge closure near Uisge Bàn Falls hiking trail.

MacDonald said the biggest contributing factor to roadway damage in the area is "wetter weather patterns" and more severe storms such as post-tropical storm Fiona.

He said the prospect of more extreme rainfall events is now being taken into consideration when designing road improvements.