Paradise traffic crawls as construction season ramps up

There's trouble in Paradise, as construction season gets into full swing, forcing traffic slowdowns in the area that have some residents frustrated.

New water lines, a new roundabout and wider roads are all on the to-do list for Paradise, and traffic is regularly backed up for kilometres during the peak hours.

Commuter Chris Gosse said most people are losing an hour out of their day just trying to get through the area.

"Every day you get up for work you gotta leave now on an average of a half hour earlier to try to get out of Paradise in order to get through the traffic, especially up here on Topsail Road," said Gosse.

"And you can't go behind out on Kenmount Road because they're getting ready, I think, to put a roundabout out there, so it's just as bad out that way."

James Hynes said his family moved to avoid what he called ridiculous driving conditions in Paradise.

"Trying to get the kids to school and that, it's ridiculous. You're there a half hour before you gets from Milton Road, say, down to Irving. So, we sold our house and moved to C.B.S."

Construction necessary, but people still upset

Toni Collins, manager of Coffee Matters, said what used to be a three-minutes drive to the coffee shop has turned into a journey in the mornings.

"It's bumper to bumper a lot of the time. I'm a resident here, as well, and it took me 35 minutes to get from my house to here yesterday morning," she said.

"Flat tire due to the pot holes and everything like that, and other people are saying it shouldn't be done during rush hour, construction should be stopped during rush hour time. Let the traffic go through and then commence it again after the rush hour is over."

Collins said the new construction will only benefit residents in the long run, but it's understandably frustrating for people who are having a hard time getting to their destinations.

According to Mayor Dan Bobbett, people in the town of Paradise can expect long waits in traffic for a while.

Once the water lines are installed, the town will move on to widening the roads and installing the new roundabout.

Construction is expected to finish in the fall.