Traffic on 240th Street between 72nd and 80th Avenue in Langley was restricted to one alternating lane Sunday, May 14, after what a Township advisory described as “a road surface failure,” that a Township councillor said was the second sinkhole in recent weeks.(Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Langley Township Councillor Rob Rindt, seen here in front of the temporary traffic control flags and lights on 240th by his farm on Sunday, May 14, said there have been two sinkholes in recent weeks next to a Trans Mountain pipeline work site across the road from his family farm, the most recent leading to an announcement of traffic restrictions. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Trans Mountain, which is using a horizontal drilling method, confirmed there have been two sinkholes associated with the construction of their pipeline through Langley. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

An advisory about traffic restrictions in Langley was issued after a second sinkhole was discovered near a Trans Mountain pipeline work site.

Langley Township Councillor Rob Rindt said when the first sinkhole was discovered a few weeks ago, on 240th Street, between 80th and 72nd Avenues, across from his family farm, a representative of Trans Mountain told him it was a “one-off,” assuring him that he didn’t have to worry about.

Then, a second sinkhole was discovered on the other side, “on my property,” Rindt said.

An advisory posted to the Township website on Sunday morning, May 14, said due to “a road surface failure, 240th Street will be reduced to single-lane, alternating traffic with short duration closures between 80th and 72nd Avenues.”

Traffic control personnel were on site, and traffic lights with motorized flags were being used to control traffic movement.

There have been two sinkholes in recent weeks next to a Trans Mountain work site, the most recent leading to an announcement that was being limited to a single alternating lane on Sunday, May 14. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

In response to a Langley Advance Times query, a statement from a Trans Mountain spokesperson on Monday, May 15, confirmed there have been two sinkholes associated with the construction of their pipeline through Langley.

“Trenchless construction is occurring on 240th Street for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project,” the statement said.

“There is currently a horizontal directional drill (HDD) underway, which is a method to safely cross underneath watercourse crossings, railways, highways, sensitive environmental areas and in places with restricted workspaces, such as urban areas.”

In April, there was what Trans Mountain described as “challenging ground conditions in the area where a localized sinkhole formed.”

Crews were able to fix the sinkhole temporarily and installed a road plate, and for the “safety of the public and crews, the team determined the need for further stabilization and installed a single lane alternating traffic pattern to complete the trenchless crossing.”

When the localized sinkhole reappeared over the weekend, crews temporarily redirected traffic, Trans Mountain said.

“Once the trenchless crossing is complete, the sinkhole will be permanently repaired, and the road will be returned to the same condition it was before construction started.”

Work on the trenchless crossing was expected to wrap up at the beginning of next week.

Once complete, the pipeline, running through Langley and other areas of the Lower Mainland, will triple the amount of oil products shipped from Northern Alberta to a refinery and terminal in Burnaby.

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