Opposition claims province 'bulldozing through' on Cornwall bypass

Opposition leader Jamie Foxis questioning why the PEI government has already put phase one of the $65 millionCornwall bypass project out to tender, withoutholding anypublic meetings or releasing any project details.

The transportation department issued the tender on Thursday, looking for a contractor to remove the Maypoint and Poplar Islandintersections,and replace them with roundabouts.

"In my opinion, we're just bulldozing this through," said Fox."Take it out of the house, take it out of the budgets, we had an announcement, now we're going to tender five weeks later withno consultation. To me it just looks like the bulldozers actually got their engines running, and they're getting ready to hit the ground running."

'Just the normal process'

But the department's chief engineer, Stephen Yeo, says staff have already met with landowners who'll be affected by the roundabout project. They plan to meet with businesses in the area and hold a public meeting some time in August.

"This is just the normal process," said Yeo. "We have to get the tenders out for a period of 15 working days. And to get the work started in September, that's the procedure we're following."

It's never official until the Minister signs off on the project.- Stephen Yeo, Chief Engineer

Yeo says his department'sgoal is to have the roundabouts completed and in uselater this fall. That's despite the fact the province is still waiting on word from Ottawa on whetherthe Federal Government will cover half the cost of the project, through the New Building Canada fund.

"It's never official until the Minister signs off on the project, and we actually have the contractor there digging,"said Yeo. "So there's always changes that can be made. But we want to take it to the public and show them what we're planning to do at this point."

Yeo says phase two of the bypass project a new six-kilometre route running from the York Point Road to New Havenlikelywon't get underway until next July. He says the department will unveil more details on the exact route planned and how businesses and landowners will be affected, "in the next number of weeks."