Town of C.B.S. facing $10M to repair T'railway damage
The Town of Conception Bay South says damage done to a popular seaside hiking path during last month's blizzard could cost $10 million to repair.
"It's a lot of money for anybody," said Richard Murphy, deputy mayor.
The storm surge washed out about 10 kilometres of the T'railway between Conception Bay South and Seal Cove, rendering the trail unsafe for users.
Large rocks now dot a once-groomed, flat path next to the water.
"If you're familiar with the area, the trail is no longer [resembling] what it used to be," Murphy said. "Even though it may look safe enough to walk along, there's probably damage underneath it that you don't realize. So we had no choice but to close the trail."
The town is applying to the provincial and federal governments for disaster relief funding, and is still in the process of getting applications in order.
Murphy said the price tag doesn't include the emergency repairs that have already been done in the Long Pond area. Large sections of the trail are washed out, while some infrastructure, including bridges on the trail, were also damaged.
Check out this drone footage of the T'railway damage captured by the town of C.B.S.:
"The worst part of it is ... the water has undermined the trail itself," Murphy said. "It's going to be quite a task."
The town is also working to repair a breakwater in the area, which caused damage to several boats at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club. The cost of repair around the yacht club could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to commodore Larry LeDrew.
The town is telling the public to avoid the T'railway, and to avoid the area.
"Even though it may look OK, it's closed. And we closed it for a reason," Murphy said. "We closed it for safety reasons. [People still using the trail] is really not a good idea. Just stay away from it."
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