Sunday, September 1, 2013

Construction Of One Mile Interchange Is In Stretch Run

It's been a long time coming but the One Mile Interchange will be complete sometime this fall with the result that fewer heavy trucks will be plying the streets of Saint John. 

The Commissioner of Transportation for the city Bill Edwards says they'll be coming off the highway and through Kane's Corner onto Bayside Drive where turns and through traffic should be easier after all the construction is done. That construction work at Kane's Corner will be ongoing until November. 

West Side Common Councillor Bill Farren wants to see signs up to let the truck drivers know where they shouldn't go. 

He says, for instance, transport trucks going eastbound along the highway should not have to make their way up Water Street once the One Mile Interchange is open but only should be in the uptown area to make local deliveries in that part of the city.

City Solicitor Warns New Skateboarding Law Could Mean City Can Be Sued

The new skateboarding law requiring use of helmets puts the onus on the city to enforce its own regulation. 

So says City Solicitor John Nugent who concludes the city of Saint John, if it doesn't enforce the regulation, could be sued by a skateboarder who gets injured when not wearing a helmet if the bylaw wasn't being enforced.
 

Nugent says the legal argument could be made with some force that the city is liable but whether a court would see it that way remains to be seen. 

West side councillor Greg Norton argues Police Chief Bill Reid is on board and the question of enforcement should not be an excuse for inaction.

Roofing Equipment Thrown From Building

Police reviewing surveillance footage after somebody threw a piece of roofing equipment off the roof of the old Post Office building on Prince William Street in Saint John.

They tell us it happened overnight, and they believe the person responsible climbed the scaffolding to get to the top. The piece of equipment, used for cutting shingles, fell six or seven stories.

Nobody was hurt.

Man Drives Car Off Fort Howe

Police say a driver was lucky to escape with only minor injuries after his car fell 160 feet off of Fort Howe in Saint John.

Acting Sgt. Simmons tells us the driver of the tow truck measured the distance while hauling up the vehicle after it landed the side of the hill, near Main Street. 

Simmons says they believe alcohol was a factor in the incident, and that the driver, who was the only person in the vehicle, didn't drive off the hill on purpose. He was brought to hospital after the fall.

Gas Leak On West Side Prompts Response

Crews responding to a gas leak in a restaurant on the West side of Saint John.

Firefighters, along with Enbridge and Maritimes & Northeast heading to 638 Manawagonish Road to find a small leak coming from a pilot light at AJ's Restaurant & Lounge. 

Acting Platoon Chief Brian Wilson says the problem was looked after by Enbridge, the appliances were shut off and the building was ventilated.

One Person Trapped After Car Crash

One person taken to hospital after a two-car crash at the intersection of Rothesay Road and Rothesay Avenue. 

Platoon Chief Barry Oickle of the Saint John Fire Department says the person was trapped in the car and had to be extricated using the Jaws of Life.

Oickle says the person's injuries are not life-threatening.