N.B. to spend $20M on Petitcodiac River restoration

New Brunswick will be moving ahead with the restoration of the Petitcodiac River, though the federal governmenthas yet tosay it will provide funding for the project.

Premier Shawn Graham announced on Monday that the province will provide $20 million in provincial funding for the restoration project over the next two years.

About $8 million will be spent this year for planning,erosion protectionand remediation work. The remaining $12 million will be spent in the 2009-10 fiscal year to open the gates of the causeway and allow fish to pass through the river system.

The Petitcodiac causeway was built in 1968 to connect Moncton to Riverview. Since then it has spurred protests and accusations that it was choking the river's tidal bore and blocking the passage of fish.

"We recognized we couldn't wait any longer," Graham said. "We want to see this river opened by 2010."

Graham said New Brunswick is still hoping for funding from the federal government for the third phase of the project, which will include constructing a 280-metre bridge over the river.

"We're hoping by today's provincial investment that they'll come to the table," Graham said.

The four-lane bridge is expected to take at least three years to construct, and once completed the existing gate structure would be removed to allow the river to flow freely.

The total cost of the river project is estimated to be $68 million.

A spokesperson for the federal Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Department said the project isn't eligible for funding because the causeway is considered a provincial highway.

The provincial government's announcement has to be just the beginning of the project, said Tim Van Hinte, spokesman for the Petitcodiac Riverkeepers.

"It's a lot like a hockey game," Van Hinte said. "You have the first period that's about to get started, but you still have the second and third to finish. So there's a lot of work to be done."