Travellers to Queens will have an easier time getting to some of the area’s beaches and attractions. The intersection of Highway 103 and Exit 22A will have new directional arrows painted this week.

The turnoff leads to popular locations like White Point, the Quarterdeck and Summerville beach. Queens-Shelburne MLA Kim Masland said that stretch of Highway 103 has become particularly dangerous since it underwent repairs this summer.

After the micro-sealing took place, Masland said the directional arrows were not properly repainted over the multi-lane intersection to indicate to drivers whether or not they could turn.

Temporary arrows at Exit 22A along Highway 103. Photo courtesy of Kim Masland.

And the temporary arrows painted on with a spray can are insufficient.

“They look like they were drawn on by my grandson,” said Masland. “It’s absolutely pathetic.”

Masland has heard from constituents for months how difficult it is to see the arrows and how dangerous that stretch of road can be especially at night or in bad weather.

She followed up on one call and was concerned with what she found.

“I actually got in my car myself that night and drove up to the intersection,” said Masland. “It was pouring rain and it was dark. I’m familiar with that section of the road and I really didn’t know where I was supposed to be because there were no arrows to indicate where I was supposed to be in the road.”

Masland has been in repeated contact with the Nova Scotia department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) since October about getting appropriate arrows in place.

She was pleased when she received a call indicating the painting will get underway this week.

A spokesperson from TIR confirmed crews will be out to perform the work as soon as the weather allows.

Mill Village Bridge in need of resurfacing. Photo courtesy of Kim Masland.

The department is also set to get to work on a much bigger project in Queens.

Signs are going up this week to detour cars around the Mill Village Bridge.

The condition of the bridge surface is another concern Masland has been hearing about from residents for years.

While Masland said she has been assured the bridge is completely safe, and has no reason to doubt those assurances, many residents don’t feel safe when they are crossing.

“I had one lady tell me that she travels across that bridge everyday and she literally just holds her wheel and closes her eyes as she goes across. Because, the appearance of it, it does look unsafe, but I have been assured that it is not,” said Masland.

The bridge will be resurfaced beginning late this week or early next, depending on the weather.

That work is expected to take several months to complete.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson