2023-11-01
Government commits $1 million toward Western Head shoreline restoration
by KEITH CORCORAN
MOUNT PLEASANT - Two sections of Shore Road in the Queens County community of Western Head are getting work in an effort to combat shoreline erosion there and better protect it against flooding events.
In an announcement on Oct. 20, the national and provincial governments pledged $500,000 each toward work that involves excavating existing rock and gravel and reinforcing an existing retaining wall.
The job is expected to start in late fall and finish in the spring of 2024, said Nova Scotia Public Works Minister and Queens MLA Kim Masland.
"That will be done by our local Public Works department here in Queens," she said in an interview following the announcement, which took place outside the Liverpool Regional High School.
Extreme weather events are affecting shoreline infrastructure, she said, and parts of the seawall were damaged as a consequence of one of the recent storms to hit the province.
Shore Road winds through the communities of Mount Pleasant, Mersey Point, Moose Harbour, in addition to Western Head.
Infrastructure Canada didn't send a representation to the news conference. In a news release, the federal agency identified where the work will take place.
"The first segment is approximately 320 metres in length, roughly 200 metres east of the intersection of Shore Road and Sand Beach Road," the department said in the release. "The second segment is approximately 160 metres in length and begins approximately 2.4 kilometres east of the intersection."
Later, in a social media post, Masland emphasized the importance of current and future coastline protection.
"These investments will ensure the community of Liverpool and the surrounding area has access to roads that are built to withstand today's climate events."
