DONKIN — The road has been constructed, the utility poles moved and the only thing standing in the way of coal being transportated on the Donkin Haul Road are the intersections.
Donkin Mine spokesperson Paul McEachern said construction on the road finished "late summer" and they've been waiting for the intersections to be finished before it can be opened.
"The coal road itself is ready,” he said. “The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure needs to install intersections. I don’t have a date for the completion of work by the province. You will need to get that from the government.”
After a cabinet meeting on Jan. 30, Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines said the coal road opening was delayed because utility poles had to be moved. He also said there were “hydrocarbons found at one site that had to be remediated” before they could finish the intersections.
Work needed at the intersections (Brookside/Forest streets in Glace Bay and Old Airport Road/Trunk 4) includes widening the areas to accommodate turning lanes. Hines said crews would be back to work on the intersections "immediately" in the spring.
Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Andrea Anderson said they finished moving the utility poles in December 2019.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure did not respond when asked for information regarding the hydrocarbons Hines spoke about on Jan. 30.
Department spokesperson Marla MacInnis did direct inquires about the expected opening of the Donkin Haul Road to Kameron Coal.
“Donkin Haul Road is being constructed by Donkin Mine, so it would be best to speak to them about the road, its use and their construction schedule,” she said via email.
The 7.6-km stretch of road takes coal trucks behind Glace Bay and Reserve Mines at Brookside Street, connecting at Old Airport Road then going to Route 4 near Grand Lake Road, where trucks turn off and drive to Sydney Port Access Road.
As reported in the Cape Breton Post on Nov. 18, 2018, MLA Geoff MacLellan said work on the road had started and could be finished "early construction season 2019." In May 2019, MacLellan confirmed some utility poles needed to be moved so the intersections could be widened to improve sight lines and traffic safety and this caused a delay in finishing the work on the intersections.
MacLellan announced the coal road would be built in May 2018 and at that time he said the cost to the province for work on the intersections would be $2 million. So far, the cost has been $1,620,000.
Donkin timeline
2014 - U.S.-based Cline Group LLC begins process to obtain controlling interests in Donkin Mine, talk of reopening by 2016.
2015 - Work needed to reopen Donkin Mine begins.
Feb. 27, 2017 - Glace Bay MLA Geoff MacLellan announces a dedicated coal transportation road will be built. The road will run behind Glace Bay and Reserve Mines, connecting to Old Airport Road, exiting at Route 4 (before Grand Lake Road). The provincial government will support the project by doing work at intersections. Kameron Coal (subsidary of Cline Group) is responsible for constructing the road.
Feb. 28, 2017 - Donkin Mine opens. Production starts at 9 p.m. and provincial roads will be used until the Donkin Haul Road (commonly called the "coal road") opens. Route runs both ways along Long Beach Road (Port Morien), down the Donkin-Morien Highway to Dearn's Corner, then continuing on to Sydney.
May 23, 2017 - First community meeting held in Port Morien regarding residents concerns over current coal transport route. Concerns include safety, roads not wide enough (with no shoulders or sidewalks), increased road repairs/damage because it wasn't engineered for heavy trucks.
May 24, 2017 - Port Morien resident Claude Peach tells the Cape Breton Post he helped put together a proposal with suggested alternate coal transportation routes and it was presented to Kameron Coal "a few years back." Alternatives included a loop system (meaning trucks travel only one way through community) or a new road, starting across the highway from the mine. Peach says they did not receive a response to the proposal.
May 31, 2018 - Cape Breton Regional Municipality Dist. 8 Coun. Amanda McDougall holds a community meeting about coal transport concerns, attracting 100 people. Representatives from Kameron Coal and Seaboard Trucking attended and answered questions. No changes were made to coal transport system.
Fall 2018 - Kameron Coal starts work on Donkin Haul Road construction.
Nov. 18, 2018 - MLA Geoff MacLellan announces coal road should be completed by spring 2019. Confirms Kameron Coal (formerly Kameron Collieries) needed to aquire 10-12 lots of land, including wetlands, waterways and Department of Natural Resources-owned property, for the road. MacLellan said cost to province for work on intersections estimated at $2 million.
May 16, 2019 - MLA Geoff MacLellan tells the Cape Breton Post the road will be open mid-summer, siting technical and structural issues needed to be finished, such as widening the intersections to insure good sight lines and traffic safety. He confirms no traffic lights will be installed at Old Airport Road/Trunk 4. Cost for expansion to intersections: Trunk 4/Old Airport Road $1,025,000 which includes adding a right turning lane, Brookside/Forrest streets (onto Donkin Haul Road) is $595,000 which includes adding a left turning lane.
Summer 2019 - Kameron Coal finishes constructing coal transportation road.
Aug. 14, 2019 - Cape Breton Post reports the Donkin Haul Road isn't open due to delays moving utility poles so the intersections could be widened. Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Pattie Lewis says delays moving poles were due to two things: crew shortages when they were reassigned to handle emergency repairs after winds storms and needing easements (permission from private property owners to have the poles on their lot.) Transportation department officials say they don't know when the road will be open because Kameron Coal owns it and they cannot speak on their construction schedule.
Jan. 30, 2020 - Following a cabinet meeting in Halifax, Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines is asked about the opening of the Donkin Haul Road. He says needing to move utility poles caused delays in its completion adding one site had hydrocarbons that needed to be cleaned up and work on the intersections will start in spring.
Feb. 12, 2020 - Donkin Mine spokesperson Paul McEachern tells the Cape Breton Post they don't have an opening date for the road as they are waiting for the province to complete the intersections. He confirms again the road is ready for trucking once the province completes intersections.
Feb. 16, 2020 - Port Morien resident Claude Peach, a member of the Port Morien Development Association, said the group has decided to take their concerns beyond their local MLA and mine officials and are writing a letter to Minister of Transportation Lloyd Hines requesting a meeting and detailing their concerns.
Feb. 18, 2020 - Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Andrea Anderson tells the Cape Breton Post they finished moving the utility poles in December 2019.
