On a late August Saturday night, the Chaleur Lightning hockey team finished an exhibition game against the Miramichi Timberwolves and boarded their bus back to Bathurst. Assistant coach Alex Ouellet recalled a startling moment when the driver suddenly gasped. Within minutes of the journey, a collision with a moose occurred on the highway, leaving the team and coaches unharmed except for a few scratches on the driver.
The encounter with the moose left a lasting impression on Ouellet and the team, a common experience for many New Brunswickers who have faced similar situations. The incident coincided with the announcement of two new wildlife crossings on the same highway segment.
The province utilizes wildlife fencing and crossings, such as tunnels, to prevent wildlife, particularly moose, from straying onto roadways. Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson explained that these measures are strategically placed based on collision data analysis to identify high-risk areas. While extensive wildlife fencing lines both sides of 331 kilometers of highways in New Brunswick, wildlife crossings, including 82 concrete tunnels, are integrated into various locations.
The newly installed wildlife tunnels on Route 8 between Miramichi and Bathurst are over four meters tall and wide, allowing even large vehicles to pass through. Graham Forbes, a wildlife ecologist at the University of New Brunswick, highlighted the success of previous tunnel installations in encouraging animals like bears, moose, and deer to utilize them safely. He emphasized the importance of designing the tunnels to guide animals intuitively towards the passages.
Forbes noted that wildlife tunnels are not solely utilized by large mammals but also by various other creatures like beavers, ducks, bats, skunks, and raccoons. Despite the presence of these crossings, the Department of Transportation has not observed a significant decrease in collisions, with 2024 recording the highest number of incidents. Chiasson reiterated the department’s commitment to enhancing safety through targeted mitigation efforts and emphasized the need for continuous evaluation and potential brush clearing to improve visibility.
Ouellet expressed hope for additional fencing in the area to enhance safety for future travels, acknowledging the limitations in completely preventing collisions. He emphasized the importance of implementing preventive measures to the best extent possible in managing the inherent risks associated with wildlife encounters on highways.