Proposed emergency exits for Upper Tantallon neighbourhood in wrong spots, residents say

Some residents of a Halifax-area neighbourhood that was evacuated during a dangerous wildfire two years ago say proposed emergency exits won't make everyone safer.

A staff report going to Halifax regional council on Tuesday presents four options for an emergency-only egress from the Westwood Hills subdivision to Highway 103, and two suggestions for a road connecting the neighbourhood to an adjacent subdivision. 

"My initial reactions are disgust," said Nick Horne, who has lived in Westwood Hills for 17 years. "I feel that HRM has ignored the needs of the community."

Calls for an emergency exit in the subdivision have grown after a wildfire in the area in May 2023 forced hundreds of people to evacuate. Although Westwood technically has two roads into the neighbourhood, they are very close to one another on Hammonds Plains Road, which could create bottlenecks and delays.

Residents who fled their homes when the blaze started said traffic congestion caused by a bottleneck left them trapped and fearing for their lives.

The fire grew to 788 hectares, spread to neighbouring communities and eventually destroyed more than 150 homes in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains. 

Horne said the four proposed locations are too far away from the many residents in the top half of the subdivision.

"The highlighted proposed options are the shortest, lowest-cost options and still trap two-thirds of the community," he said.

Connecting to old logging road

The goal of the emergency exit is to get as many people to Highway 103 as fast as possible, the report says.

The report recommends the option at Hemlock Drive, which is the shortest distance between the neighbourhood and highway at approximately 500 metres. It would cost the least. 

The furthest route would be from Rockfield Drive at approximately 1,650 metres. The most expensive route is from High Timber Drive. The options range from $1.4 million to $10 million.

Horne said residents want an egress off Wright Lake Run that could lead residents to Pipeline Road, a former logging road nearby that connects to Highway 103 and Highway 101.

A new wind farm being built at Melvin Lake will improve infrastructure in the area and create an opportunity to put in an emergency exit at that side of Westwood Hills, Horne said. 

"This is the only corridor that will allow egress for the rear of the neighbourhood," he said.

Some residents participated in a video conference call on Friday to express their frustrations to Coun. Nancy Hartling about Wright Lake Run being left out of consideration.

"What I know is that [option] was taken off the table very early on for safety reasons, but that, for Westwood Hills, isn't good enough," Hartling said in an interview.

She said she will ask for more answers at Tuesday's council meeting and about opportunities to piggyback off of new infrastructure related to development in the area.

Hartling will also request an amendment to the recommendations in the report to start community consultation with residents in that area immediately, she said.

She previously said an emergency exit won't be put in before this year's fire season, but Horne said there needs to be a route available in the interim.