Highway 103 plan targets historic home: opponent

A 147-year-old building should not be moved to make way for a connector road in the St. Margarets Bay area, says an opponent to the plan.

Sean Kirby says the province has five other possible links between Highway 103 and St. Margarets Bay Road.

"If the government is going to build the connector, against the community's wishes, it should at least make every effort to try to minimize the disruption to the community," he said Wednesday.

"It just doesn't make sense that with five other routes that wouldn't impact homes, that the government would continue to consider an option that would relocate any home."

The former schoolhouse is right across the street from Kirby's home.

The province says the 147-year-oldhome is the only one considered for removal.No homes would be destroyed.

Kirby has been lobbying against a connector road for two years, since theNova Scotiagovernment announced that Highway 103 would be twinned between the Tantallon and Hubbards exits.

While most100-series highwayshave exits every eight kilometres, this stretch is 21 kilometres long. The province saysa new exit and connector roadwill improve access for emergency vehicles, give residents better access to the highway and ease congestion on St. Margarets Bay Road.

No decision has been made on where theroadwill go.

Adam Osbourne, a highway planning engineer, says there are many things to consider.

"We've sort of got to balance things," he said. "Do you take one house, displace one house, or do you disrupt the lives of three other houses?"

A public meeting will be held Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Black Point fire hall.