Jemseg area’s tricky pylon alley where 3 died in crash could be gone in 2 weeks | CBC News

A construction zone on the Trans-Canada near Jemseg that was the scene of a deadly, four-vehicle crash this summer is expected to disappear during the third week of September, weather permitting.

Along this section, vehicles travelling both east and west are each reduced to one lane on a single side of the divided highway, separated by pylons in a no-passing zone.

The stretch of pylons lasts for more than 11 kilometres from just west of the bridges over the St. John and Jemseg rivers and the Mill Cove exit. 

The configuration has remained the same throughout the summer, despite a crash that killed three people near Mill Cove on July 25.

People who’d been using the highway said at the time that they’d worried about inadequate signing and the danger from speeding vehicles. Immediately after the crash, RCMP said there was no indication the lane reductions had been a factor.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation has directed all questions about this stretch of highway to MRDC, the  private contractor responsible for the maintenance of the Trans-Canada between Fredericton and Moncton.

Ed Donelan, MRDC general manager, did not respond to CBC News requests for interviews in the days after the crash or a month later, but provided an email statement on Friday about the construction zone.

Donelan said both the St. John and Jemseg river bridges have had asphalt and waterproofing membrane removed on the westbound sides, and paving is expected to be completed this week. 

Between Jemseg and Mill Cove, three pipes crossing the width of the highway are being replaced on the westbound side. The work is expected to be completed in the next few weeks, weather permitting, Donelan said.

Donelan said the full-lane width of the pipes makes doing the work in traffic challenging, “which is the reason for the bi-directional traffic on the eastbound lanes.” 

For the traffic control setup, he said that the company followed procedures from a manual and that reduced speed limits are posted.

“Having these types of setups is certainly safer for construction workers, as they are not exposed to highway speed traffic,” Donelan said.

RCMP yet to determine cause of crash

His statement did not address a question about whether any consideration had gone into changing the construction zone setup after the fatal crash.

The crash took the lives of a 55-year-old woman from Oshawa, Ont., and two New Brunswickers, a 54-year-old man from Greater Lakeburn and a 32-year-old man from Timber River. All three died at the scene.

A transport truck, a delivery truck, a pickup truck and a minivan were involved in the crash, which kept the highway closed in both directions for nearly 24 hours following because the lane for diverted traffic had to be repaired.

When reached in late August, an RCMP spokesperson said a cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but this could happen in about six weeks.