Dieppe Boulevard expansion announced with a focus on new development

Dieppe Boulevard in its namesake city will be getting a much-anticipated upgrade to help address the growing population in the region.

The boulevard will be extended two kilometres from its current end at Rue de la Belle-Forêt to the intersection of Amirault Street and Dover Road.

Dieppe Mayor Yvon Lapierre highlighted the growth that the new boulevard will promote, including commercial and  residential buildings and a new school.

“As you saw from the crowd here today, there was a lot of developers, people that are landowners and so on that are ready to start building,” Lapierre said in an interview with CBC News after a news conference about the project.

Lapierre said it’s part of a move to “densify” new housing in the city, which has seen increased growth in recent years.

“Generally, Dieppe has been built with large homes in the last couple of years, but now we’re seeing more and more density in the building and the construction,” Lapierre said.

A new two-kilometre section of road will extend the boulevard to the intersection of Amirault Street and Dover Road. (City of Dieppe)

The project is happening with all three levels of government support. The federal government contributed $21 million, New Brunswick nearly $14 million, and Dieppe just over $7 million plus the costs of acquiring the land.

Construction on the boulevard is to begin this year, and Lapierre said he expects it to take abouto two years. Once the road and infrastructure are built, then development will start to ramp up, he said. There will also be new bus service to the area.

“That’s all part of the package but it doesn’t happen overnight. It all comes over time.”

Lapierre said all construction on the new boulevard, which will go through what is currently a fully wooded area, will follow the city’s new tree bylaw. Passed over the summer, considered the first bylaw of its kind in Atlantic Canada, requires city approval to trim or cut trees larger than 10 centimetres in diameter at 130 cm off the ground.

Lapierre said construction and development around the new boulevard will abide by the city’s new tree bylaw passed over the summer, which requires permission to cut down larger trees. (Francis Ferland/CBC)

A tree study must be carried out by city staff or a privately hired arborist.

“The [tree] bylaws that we’ve put in place will work with that, and I think the builders are going to have to simply deal with the regulations that have been put in place,” Lapierre said.

Federal ministers Dominic Leblanc and Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who both represent New Brunswick ridings, were present at the announcement.

Federal ministers who represent New Brunswick ridings, Dominc LeBlanc, left, and Ginette Petitpas Taylor were present at Friday’s announcement with Mayor Lapierre, right. (Gilles Landry/Radio-Canada)

“This important project reflects the growth that this region is seeing,” LeBlanc said in a news release put out by the provincial government.

“It is not just about adding kilometres to an existing boulevard. It is about providing Dieppe’s residents and visitors with high-quality services for years to come.”