Blame the buses, if nothing else, for the ongoing break down of Lansdowne Road’s pavement.
The sinking pavement was reported on Tuesday night and coned off until crews could attend on Wednesday.
B.C. Transit’s No. 11 was detouring as of Wednesday to avoid that section.
Ever get that sinking feeling like … the road is going to give out? Oak Bay has a crew on site to repair a sinkhole on Lansdowne Road today. pic.twitter.com/TFjD7PTpbK
— Oak Bay News (@OakBayNews) February 5, 2020
“From Lansdowne, right on Ripon, right on Cotswold (second left at round-a-bout), stay to left, left on Weald to Nottingham, back to regular route,” said the transit report.
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Public Works operations manager Terry Johnson explained that the asphalt on Lansdowne was actually laid on concrete.
Once the asphalt is worn down enough, it cracks and then water can seep in. So yes, the weekend’s 50 mm of rain certainly contributed to the latest sinkhole.
“It’s actually right over the sewer so we are digging right down to it,” Johnson said. “We thought it might be the sewer, though road surface had peeled away [some]. It was pretty mushy in there.”
The timeline for the sinkhole’s repair depends what the crew finds when it digs.
Buses are likely contributing to the quicker breakdown of the concrete under the asphalt, Johnson noted. The No. 11 travels Lansdowne but took a detour on Wednesday.
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