You can add the Sunshine Coast to the list of B.C. communities dealing with an unusually high number of potholes after a harsh winter and wet spring.
The condition of local roads dominated the round-table discussion at the April 20 Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) transportation committee meeting.
West Howe Sound director Ian Winn reminded the committee that he first raised the issue of potholes in his area at the January meeting. “It’s three months later,” he said. “And those slight potholes have developed into much deeper holes. It’s to the point now where we’ve gone from ‘gee, this is bad,’ to deplorable, to it’s unsafe.”
Winn pointed out that more than 1,000 people travel the Port Mellon Highway to work in the Twin Creeks and Hillside industrial parks or Howe Sound Pulp and Paper. “There’s also the heavy trucks – logging trucks, chip trucks, supply trucks. A lot of heavy equipment is heading down that road.”
Winn also said he’s aware of at least one sinkhole in Area F, at Fisher and Central roads, and problems on Williamsons Landing Road. “It’s been reported [to Capilano Highways] and nothing’s been done. This is very frustrating.”
Other area directors also had stories of roads in bad shape, including Halfmoon Bay’s Garry Nohr, who said the road at the entrance to the Secret Cove Mews strata is “half-gone and a foot deep.” Lorne Lewis of Elphinstone raised the issue of potholes on Reed Road and one at Pratt Road and Highway 101 he claimed was so big “it’s probably a pothole that’s got another pothole inside it.”
Don Legault, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) representative on the committee, said road repairs done using a so-called micro-surfacing technique are nearing the end of their seven-year lifespan, especially on Port Mellon Highway, and the freeze-thaw cycles of the winter combined with a wet spring have created more potholes and slowed down repairs.
“They need temperatures to be a bit warmer and a few days of dry weather to go in and fix those,” said Legault, who added later in the meeting that it’s been “a very nasty year” for potholes throughout southern B.C.
Committee members also raised an Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities resolution about accountability of road contractors and transparency in the issuing of those contracts, and passed a recommendation that the SCRD board talk to MOTI about having input on the upcoming renewal of contract with Capilano Highways for the Sunshine Coast.
The committee also heard about plans for BC Ferries’ consultations on improvements to the Sunshine Coast schedule, and the status of the R.F. Binnie report on a potential fixed link.
Maureen Donnagh of BC Ferries said travellers will be getting a chance soon to offer opinions and ideas on what should be done to tweak the Route 3 schedule at kiosks that will be set up at the terminal and onboard the ferries.
Legault said MOTI was expecting the Binnie report late last year, but it’s taken longer than expected for the consultants to sift through all the public response.
“We were hoping to receive it by the end of December… They received a very large number of comment forms [at the open houses] as well as online comment forms, so that has pushed back the delivery of the report. I am told we will receive it this spring,” said Legault, adding that it’s not expected before the May 9 provincial election.
Nohr said he’ll be meeting soon with his opposite number at the Powell River Regional District to discuss both the fixed link and ferry schedule improvements.
