The Mayor of Williams Lake and MLA for Cariboo Chilcotin want temporary asphalt installed in gravelled areas of Highway 20 and Dog Creek Road.
Mayor Walt Cobb, Councillor Scott Nelson, Chief Administrative Gary Muraca and Cariboo Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson met with staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) Wednesday, July 14 to discuss ongoing issues resulting from land slippage in the Hodgson Road area.
“We very clearly stated the need for MOTI to ensure that the sections of Highway 20 and Dog Creek Road that have been damaged by land slippage must be addressed while the Ministry undergoes its geotechnical analysis,” Mayor Walt Cobb said in a news release.
Read More: Highway 20, Dog Creek Road repairs won’t be completed until later this summer
“We recognize that they are focused on addressing the groundwater issues, but there needs to be safe and reliable passage during this process.”
Resurfacing of repaired areas is planned for later this summer, provided slide movement slows as anticipated, MOTI said in an emailed response last month.
Coun. Scott Nelson said while a temporary asphalt blacktop covering is not ideal, it would be better than what is now in place.
“We currently have vehicles navigating dangerous and dirty sections of heavily-used road infrastructure in Williams Lake,” he said. “This is simply unacceptable.”
Ongoing maintenance of the gravel portions continues to be performed by Dawson Road Maintenance.
A MOTI spokesperson said the ministry recognizes that people are frustrated by the conditions of the roadway and are working to improve rideability of this section as they await recommendations from geotechnical engineers.
A portion of Dog Creek Road was paved at the intersection of Shaw Road on July 7-9. The spokesperson said some shoulder work remains and is scheduled for the near future.
Measures are also being undertaken to reduce dust on the gravel section of Highway 20 that was graded and profiled July 14.
“Our geotechnical engineers have been engaged to advise on the timing of resurfacing this section,” the spokesperson said.
The ministry is in the process of completing assessments that will allow them to do repairs in the short-term while engineers assess the larger slide complex to understand what is happening and provide recommendations for possible fixes.
“At this time, it is too early to comment on potential causes,” the spokesperson said of the Hodgson slide complex.
“Some locations of the impacted area have seen more movement than others. Until further monitoring and investigations are completed, it is hard to determine how significant the movement has been.”
Read More: PHOTOS: Slide debris continues to move toward Dog Creek Road
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