Big hole on popular Moncton trail causes safety concerns

People who use one of Moncton's most popular walking trails around Jones Lake are being warned about a new hole that has formed next to the gates that control water flow in the lake.

Jeff Scott, a general foreman with the City of Moncton, says because of an undersized culvert, a hole forms in the same spot every spring.

"The track record has been about once a year that we have to get in there and every time we're hopeful that might be the last time before the replacement."

Moncton's chief engineer announced in January that a deal had been reached with CN to replace the inadequate culvert that dates back to the 1800s and has led to several floods in the city.

Work on the new culvert was expected to begin this spring, but Scott says it's not clear when.

He says in the meantime any work crews do to fill the hole will only be a temporary fix.

"The culverts underneath the CN tracks are the large bottleneck right now so that has to be addressed first and then we can start to do more repairs as we go upstream," Scott said.

Fencing has been put up to keep walkers and cyclists away from the hole and the unstable ground that surrounds it.

"The other thing too is that we're noticing with the lake levels they are fairly high right now so its best to stay away from the shoreline otherwise you might lose your footing and slip down into the water. It's very cold right now so just be careful," Scott said.

Moncton resident Val Halverson walks the trail regularly and is relieved the hole will be repaired, at least temporarily, by the the end of the month.

"It's certainly dangerous for anybody that's coming through, not watching where they're going," Halverson said.

"A lot of people just come through they run and they're just not paying attention."