The remains of the old two-lane Hwy. 69 from Sudbury to Estaire is anything but busy these days.
The new alignment has successfully redirected traffic around Estaire, and no longer through it.
A 15-minute drive to the small community saw the presence of only three vehicles going the opposite direction and none going the same.
A small glimpse of the new four-lane highway can be seen in the distance, and with it the massive amount of vehicles congesting it.
Even before the new road alignment was opened for business, Estaire was facing serious issues in terms of business.
A grocery store, hotel, garage and a gas station closed down years before, leaving the small community with barely anything at all.
The addition of the new four-lane highway should have very well been the final nail in the coffin, but it wasn't.
A small combination gas station and restaurant mere minutes into Estaire still shines with a heartbeat, serving the locals and rare trespassers with gas and food.
Ruth Squires, who co-owns Oddballs Restaurant along with her husband, said she bought the facility a couple months back in hopes that it will one day pick up again.
The first thing they did as owners was change the hours of operation.
Before the previous owner threw in the towel, he reduced the hours and had the place close at 3 p.m. as opposed to 6 p.m.
“We changed the hours right away,” said Squires. “We noticed we were getting a few complaints from people who would come by at 4 and 5 p.m.”
The change gave the restaurant the opportunity to attract those looking to eat out for supper, and bring a little more business to the area.
Squires and her husband have lived in Estaire for three years now, and she admits the business is currently half as busy as what it used to be.
She said that the support of the locals during winter is enough to keep the place going for now.
“But it would really help if we could put signs up on the highway,” she said.
There is currently one sign on the highway promoting only the gas station, situated right next to the restaurant.
There is no indication that there is a restaurant, giving the impression there isn't one.
Squires would like to put up a sign in the near future, but the cost at the moment is too high to even consider.
Inside the small and cozy restaurant, seven people were eating their lunch.
Among those eating was Elwood Smith and his wife; in October, the pair celebrated their 60th anniversary of marriage.
They've been going to this same restaurant for many years now, and will continue to do so until the day it closes.
“We live halfway between here and Sudbury, and we come here more often then we go to Sudbury,” said Smith. “This is the best place to get food.”
Smith has been living in the area since 1974, and comes to the restaurant three times a week with his retired group of friends.
“This is actually our main table,” he said. “We're never going to stop attending.”
Estaire isn't the only location where the new highway completely bypassed a small community.
Just north of Parry Sound, in Nobel, the highway nearly shut down the community.
The Tim Hortons and Wendy's outlets have closed down, taking 60 jobs with them.
Down the road at the Shell gas station, the owner isn't doing nearly a fraction of the business he saw in the past.
According to media reports, the owner went from selling up to $5,000 gas a day to just a few hundred dollars.
As for Squires, she plans on advertising the restaurant in Sudbury to try and boost sales.
With the help of some flyers distributed around the city, Squires will promote a grand-opening celebration for the restaurant, and introduce a brand new menu.
With cottage season just around the corner, Squires expects business to pick up.
“But if it continues to go like this, we won't be able to run it,” she said. “That's why we're holding off until the summer time. But we're hopeful.”
