Drivers heading to the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst, Nova Scotia, will follow a new route starting June 22. Nova Scotia Health says a new public access road opens that day, and parking spots in front of the emergency department will become a drop-off zone only.
Before the permanent switch, crews need to finish paving and painting. From June 15 to 19, the emergency department drop-off will be closed each day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A temporary drop-off will be set up near the main entrance during those hours. The health authority asks people to plan extra time and watch for signs and traffic control.
Once the new road is open, patients and visitors can no longer reach the main entrance or emergency department using the old roadway. That area is needed for construction tied to the hospital’s ongoing redevelopment project. As part of the June 22 changes, accessible parking spots will move to the main entrance drop-off loop.
The traffic shift clears the way for a new emergency department nearly double the current size. It will cover about 2,973 square metres and serve more than 23,000 patients a year. A permanent 12-station renal dialysis unit is also being built, replacing the temporary unit that currently treats five patients. The whole project is expected to wrap up by the end of 2027.
Anyone with questions about the temporary or permanent changes can contact Nova Scotia Health for more detail.
