1 lane of section of TCH near Port aux Basques set to reopen Wednesday

Repairs on the Trans-Canada Highway are progressing on the southwest coast of Newfoundland and a section near the weigh scales outside Port aux Basques is set to reopen to one lane of traffic late Wednesday afternoon.

Repairs are also ongoing on highways in the Codroy Valley area. In a media release, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said travellers are encouraged to use alternative routes until repairs are completed.

The stretch of highway was battered by a heavy rain storm last week. Road washouts cut off the town of Port aux Basques from the rest of the island, and disrupted important supply lines on Marine Atlantic ferry crossings. 

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Elvis Loveless said no further damage was done to the highway sections that reopened Monday after more rain hit the area, but the weather did slow down progress. 

He said some temporary fixes to roads in other parts of the region were washed out again but have since reopened.

"We're progressing at the weigh scales. I think that's probably the point that everybody is interested in right now because it's closer to Port aux Basques," Loveless told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Wednesday. 

"Once we get that open, and the other area, we'll have traffic flowing."

Loveless said there's no firm timeline for when roads will be completely open again due to Monday's delay but he expects things to be back to normal later this week.

"We're working diligently with the contractor to get traffic moving again as quickly and as safely as possible," he said. 

"It will be within the window of the later part of this week."

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