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Gray Bay road condition worst ever

by Heather Ramsay--Residents are saying the Gray Bay Road on Moresby Island is in the worst state they've ever seen.
Gail Henry, chair of the Moresby Island Management Committee, says locals may know they can take it slowly and still get to the beach, but the condition of the road is turning tourists away.
She knows of at least one group in a camper who got past Copper Bay and turned around and came back.
It is not just the Gray Bay road, but the whole loop that's in rough shape, she says.
The loop road from Alliford Bay to South Bay, along Moresby Road and past Skidegate Lake to Copper Bay and then the spur to Gray Bay is a popular and important tourist route. Recently the road from Sandspit as far as Copper Bay was graded, but no more.
She said she's heard from tour companies that they are not taking their buses on the road, as it is so full of pot holes.
Neither of the car rental companies in Sandspit are allowing their cars on the road.
She wants to know who is going to pay to get It graded.
Mrs. Henry says the community had a quote prepared and it will cost $8,000 to grade the loop road once.
"It's been neglected for so long," she says.
At a recent Sandspit meeting about the negotiations with the Haida, John Houston brought the lack of money invested into tourism development to the attention of government representatives.
He suggested money be spent to help Sandspit make use of the assets already in place.
Mrs. Henry says MIMC has written a letter to the province outlining the assistance the community would like to see and maintaining the loop road was high on the list.
She is looking forward to hearing more about the results of the Ministry of Forests forestry road stakeholder meetings that were held back in December.
At that meeting, Brian Eccles of the Ministry of Forests, said he would be writing proposals and looking for ways to keep some of the priority roads on the islands open.
He was not available for comment by deadline.