Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll, left, and Minster of Transportation and Infrastructure Barry Petten speak to reporters on the heels of an announcement to construct a new breakwater in Trepassey following the havoc cause by Hurricane Melissa earlier this month. Mark Squibb photo
By Mark Squibb
Newly minted Minster of Transportation and Infrastructure Barry Petten and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll announced last week that a tender for the new Trepassey breakwater has been issued, and construction will begin this fall.
Moreover, the new provincial government will cover the full cost of the project.
Petten said the initial estimates were about $750,000, but the major windstorm of November 4 had driven those estimates up slightly. Engineers had yet to fully assess the situation, but Petten didn’t think the increases will push the project over the million-dollar mark.
“We’re not sure of the exact amount, but we still anticipate it will be less than a million dollars,” said Petten, who noted the Liberals failed to address the matter when the breakwater was damaged in 2024.
A handful of residents living out on the battery had to be evacuated during Hurricane Melissa, as crashing waves threated to overcome the breakwater and wash out the lone road connecting the area known as “the Lower Coast” to the mainland. Those residents, said Petten, travel with their bags packed, in case a storm rises and the road becomes inaccessible.
Lifting that road above sea level, said Petten, would be a huge cost. The provincial government meanwhile has no appetite yet for relocating residents from the battery, and so the breakwater remains the only viable option.
“We hope this (the breakwater) will work,” said Petten. “Nobody is ever one hundred precent certain, but our engineers are good engineers, and they feel confident that this should hold up.”
O’Driscoll added the breakwater had lasted a good number of years but had become compromised in recent years due to a number of storm surges.
“Hopefully this time it will work,” said O’Driscoll. “With a wall put up, and cribbage behind it, and armour stone in the front, I think it can last, for sure, as long as we do it properly.”
There is no project completion date as of yet, but Petten and O’Driscoll say they hope to get the job finished sooner rather than later.
Petten admitted he was unaware the federal government would be announcing an $8 million breakwater in Petty Harbour just days before the Province announced funding for the breakwater in Trepassey.
