Alma Road to Fundy Trail Parkway Connecting the Fundy Coastal Drive in Southern New Brunswick’s Now Open!
The new section of public chip sealed road now connects the eastern entrance of the Fundy Trail Parkway to just outside the gates of Fundy National Park and ultimately, the Village of Alma, making exploring the Fundy Coastal Region easier and more enjoyable for visitors and locals alike.
The Fundy Trail Parkway is a not-for-profit run park governed by a volunteer board of directors appointed by the Minister of Tourism. The Fundy Trail Development Authority Inc. (FTDA) President James Donald explains that “official celebrations will take place next season, however, with the roadway chip sealing now finished by the government, New Brunwickers and visitors to the province can get a ‘sneak peak’ now.”
After decades of promotion by several individuals, and, in particular, Dr. Mitchell Franklin, the Provincial and Federal governments committed to funding development of the Fundy Trail Parkway. The construction on the Fundy Trail Parkway began in 1995, the first phase of the park opened to visitors in August 1998. The full park was completed gate-to-gate in 2018. In July of 2020, the first portion of the connector road outside of the park opened to Sussex Corner.
Dr. Frank Wilson, founding FTDA President is thrilled that the last piece of roadwork is completed. Looking back, he explains that he received a call in 1990 from the then Premier, Frank McKenna, asking him if he could get some of the students in the transportation group at UNB to do a preliminary study. Wilson explained that the provincial and federal governments put in $5 million dollars each to fund the project. “This newly completed connection will result in a significant economic impact for the Province of New Brunswick and establish a spectacular, scenic coastal link between Saint John, Sussex and Moncton, St. Martins and Alma, joining the entire southern portion of the province from St. Stephen in the west right to Sackville in the east. Completion of this infrastructure integrates the four top Natural Attractions – Fundy Trail Parkway, Fundy National Park, Hopewell Rocks and Cape Enrage into a consolidated group of first-class coastal tourism attractions which, collectively, will create a World Class Signature Coastal Area called the Fundy Coastal Drive.”
The Fundy Trail Parkway is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm until October 16th. With the chipseal completed, the distance from Alma to Fundy Trail Parkway’s eastern entrance is only 48 km, taking approximately 45 minutes to drive.