The District of Sechelt says Wakefield Road has been reopened after being closed to all but local traffic last Friday after the heavy rains caused damage to the area where Wakefield meets Highway 101.
A culvert designed to carry storm water under the highway failed, causing backups and overflows in ditches along Wakefield and resulting in mud and water building up at the intersection.
Work on a “temporary fix” was completed over the weekend.
According to the district’s engineering department, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is expected to provide a replacement culvert to be installed next month by contractors already working on a $1.8-million sewer expansion project in the area. District crews are working on “re-ditching” along the road and expect to have that work finished in a few days.
Some neighbourhood residents were already raising concerns about ditches and drainage in the area during the sewer project, and the district said Tuesday that a failed corrugated steel culvert further up Wakefield Road will be replaced early this year with a concrete one. The cost is estimated at around $450,000.
The sewer system work is due to be completed in early March, to be followed by restoration of the paved surfaces.
