Rising sea levels and severe flooding caused by climate change are threatening the Chignecto Isthmus which is a major national trade corridor between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The Trans-Canada Highway, a major rail line and the electrical grid pass through this narrow strip of land connecting the two provinces.
Work on a study began in 2018 after it was commissioned by the two provinces and the federal government in an effort to find ways to protect the vital link.
Three options and their costs were outlined in the study which was released late Friday afternoon:
- raising the existing dikes at a cost of roughly $200.2 million;
- building new dikes at a cost of about $189.2 million; or
- raising the existing dikes and installing steel sheet pile walls at select locations at a cost of roughly $300.8 million.
New Brunswick transportation minister Jill Green says the Chignecto Isthmus trade corridor accommodates about $35 billion worth of movement of goods and services every year and is home to critical transportation and utility infrastructure.
“The area is currently protected by a network of dikes and aboiteaux originally installed in the late 1600s by the Acadians to protect the agricultural lands in the isthmus. Without the current protection, the network of dikes and aboiteaux, much of the isthmus would be inundated by today’s sea levels.”
She noted how the current height of the dikes is no longer sufficient due to the affects of climate change.
“We now have three well-considered options for protecting the critical transportation infrastructure on the Chignecto Isthmus, as well as agricultural land, and, most importantly, local communities,” said Nova Scotia public works minister Kim Masland.
“This study will help guide our decisions.”
The two provinces will decide on a course of action after discussing these options with the federal government.
Federal transport minister Omar Alghabra acknowledged the study and thanked the two provinces for their work on it.
“We need to consider how our transportation system can adapt to climate change,” he noted.
More details on the study can be found in the study’s executive summary.
