It’s still slow-going but the southwest coast has been reconnected to the rest of the province.

Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button says highway crews did a great job in restoring the TCH link after four washouts over a stretch of about 40km. There is only one gravel lane at three of the construction sites, two of which are controlled by traffic signals.

Mayor Brian Button is hopeful that they can lay some asphalt before the heavy winter weather sets in.

He says having the Armed Forces help out made a big difference and the construction crews worked around the clock most of the time to expedite things.

He says they have been working in the elements and did a lot of work over a short time. He also commends all the different levels for keeping communications open all the way through the ordeal. The mayo does not think that things could have been done any better under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Marine Atlantic continues to clear up the backlog caused by the breaks in the road.