Highway 20 is plagued with rough patches and frost heaves between Puntzi and McClinchy.
“Our highway has been neglected for too long,” said Anahim Lake resident Denise Cahoose who shared a photograph of the highway in the Redstone area with the Tribune.
“It is very bad and hard for cars to get through, can you imagine the ambulance driving through that,” she said.
Reader Axel Koehn asked the Tribune to let drivers know they need good ground clearance to make it through Highway 20 between Chilanko Forks and Nimpo Lake.
In a post April 2, Dawson noted there are frost heaves with broken surfaces between Puntzi and McClinchy.
“We are assessing and have marked rough sections,” the post noted, adding due to surface softness, gravel trucks and equipment have limited capacity for repairs.
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#BCHwy20 has frost heaves with broken surface between Puntzi and McClinchy. We are assessing and have marked rough…
Posted by Dawson Road Maintenance – Cariboo on Friday, April 2, 2021
The Ministry of Transportation responded saying high ground water throughout the Cariboo has led to more challenging road conditions throughout the Cariboo during this year’s spring thaw.
The ministry and maintenance contractor staff have been patrolling and monitoring Cariboo roads to ensure safety for travelers is maintained.
Dawson Road Maintenance crews are performing temporary repairs on Highway 20. Permanent works to repair road base failures and drainage issues will be carried out once the frost is out of the ground and these areas have been able to dry out.
Road maintenance is tricky during spring thaw when both the road base and road surface are very saturated. Placing heavy equipment onto an already compromised road structure has the potential do more damage than good, however, crews are actively addressing safety concerns.
Road users are advised to please obey signage and speed reduction zones throughout the area.
Residents are saying it is due to logging trucks not adhering to load restrictions as well. Is there any plan to address those concerns?
Load restrictions are in place for Highway 20. Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers are patrolling the area to ensure all commercial traffic is adhering to the posted restrictions.
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