With summer heat comes summer construction and sitting in both as seasonal traffic piles up on East Kootenay roads. As summer maintenance and construction activities come into full swing this summer, Mainroad is reminding drivers of Slow Down, Move Over regulation.
“To minimize impact to the driving public especially on Fridays, we aim to schedule maintenance during non-peak traffic periods. Please visit DriveBC.ca before heading out,” noted Al Sander, General Manager for Mainroad East Kootenay Contracting LP in a press release.
The January 2015 amendment to the Slow Down, Move Over law requires drivers to slow to 70 km/h in speed limit zones of 80 km/h or higher and down to 40 km/h in speed limit zones below 80 km/h.
These changes sought to provide maintenance and utility workers, land surveyors, animal control workers and garbage collectors with more protection from passing traffic.
Mainroad is reminding drivers to look for cone zoned areas where East Kootenay crews are working to complete summer season maintenance. In Fernie, this means road base repair and in Elkford the widening of the Fording River Road. Other operations in the East Kootenay will include dust control, grading on gravel roads, patching potholes, and paving.
Mainroad recommends driving with extreme care in cone zoned areas, staying alert, minimizing distractions and showing respect for the person working at the side of the road.
Mainroad is responsible for the plowing and road maintenance of provincial highways and roads in many areas including the East Kootenay.
