Potholes along Highway 19 between Lantzville and Parksville have provided a driving nightmare for Island motorists, at times leaving a slew of damaged vehicles requiring tow trucks.
ParksvilleB次元官网网址檚 Devon Matheson was travelling north near exit 46 on Jan. 2 at approximately 4:25 p.m., when he struck a pothole, which he says caused upwards of $2,000 worth of damage to his vehicle.
After pulling over, Matheson noted he went back and measured the pothole as 96.5 centimetres by 195.5 centimetres and approximately 13 to 20 centimetres deep. He said there were no markings or indications nearby to warn drivers of the significant gap.
Another Parksville, Steve (who asked his surname be kept private), had a near-identical experience on Jan. 11 at approximately 5:30 p.m., dealing with the same pothole.
B次元官网网址淎nother vehicle in front of me - I could see it swerve at the last minute, so I avoided that oneB次元官网网址� But I hit this thing so hard I thought there was some serious damage,B次元官网网址� he said.
SteveB次元官网网址檚 newly purchased front passenger snow tire had to be replaced, at the cost of $260.
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A tow company advised him that it would take several hours to help since there were apparently 30 to 40 other vehicles needing a tow along Highway 19.
B次元官网网址淩ight around where I was waiting there were a good half-dozen other vehicles sitting, checking their tires and most of them drove off. Except me,B次元官网网址� he said.
Richard Taekema, one of the managers for , where Steve had his truck towed following the incident, said that in January they have had hundreds of people come in to deal with damage caused by those potholes.
On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 12, he said there were nine tow-ins waiting for the business to open.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doing our best to keep up with it,B次元官网网址� said Taekema.B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been almost constant.B次元官网网址�
, the company responsible for servicing the B次元官网网址檚 contract for highway maintenance covering Central Vancouver Island, issued a notice that overnight repairs were done along that stretch starting at 8 p.m. on Jan. 11 until 4 a.m. on Jan. 12.
On the same night as SteveB次元官网网址檚 incident, and the same night Mainroad was doing their overnight repairs, a tow truck was hit near Rumming Road in Lantzville by an alleged impaired driver. Cpl. Mike Halskov with confirmed the truck was in the area to tow a vehicle with damage sustained by a pothole.
In an email to PQB B次元官网网址, Teagan Burton, operations manager with Mainroad Contracting, stated that in order to meet the conditions of their contract with the ministry, crews have been working feverishly to repair potholes as they become aware of them, sometimes by repairing the same potholes multiples times a day.
B次元官网网址淲e have a very robust planning, scheduling and inspection system in which we monitor our works,B次元官网网址� wrote Burton.
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In a previous interview with PQB B次元官网网址, Burton stated that B次元官网网址渇reeze-thawB次元官网网址�, the weather erosion that occurs when water freezes in existing asphalt cracks, thereby expanding the cracks and then freezing again to create further breaks, when combined with continuous pressure from highway traffic, eventually crumbles the expanded cracks into a pothole.
B次元官网网址淲e cannot control, nor can we be responsible for this phenomenon. Potholes can develop very quickly under these conditions, especially with volumes of traffic,B次元官网网址� read BurtonB次元官网网址檚 email.
She indicated a process is in place for highway-related claims and can be initiated through an online form found on the provincial governmentB次元官网网址檚 website () by clicking on B次元官网网址榙riving and transportationB次元官网网址�, B次元官网网址榙riving and cyclingB次元官网网址�, B次元官网网址榣icensing, insurance and claimsB次元官网网址�, and finally B次元官网网址榤ake a highway-related claimB次元官网网址�.
A media relations spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure stated in an email to PQB B次元官网网址 that all potential liability claims are assessed on a per-claim basis. He wrote that immediately reporting potholes as their noticed is crucial for traffic safety, adding the easiest way to find out who to contact is by using the online B次元官网网址楻eport a ProblemB次元官网网址� tool at .
MLA for Parksville-Qualicum, , wrote in an email to PQB B次元官网网址 noting he is aware of the rough road conditions and considers it a serious issue.
B次元官网网址淕iven that this road is the primary connection between north and south Vancouver Island, IB次元官网网址檝e raised those concerns with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure,B次元官网网址� read WalkerB次元官网网址檚 email. B次元官网网址淢y office is here to help connect people who have been affected by the potholes with resourcesB次元官网网址� Anyone in Parksville-Qualicum can contact my constituency office by email at adam.walker.MLA@leg.bc.ca, or by phone at 250-248-2625.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 thankful for the crews working around the clock to get the road fixed and I want to encourage people to take extra time when travelling and to drive slowly during these rougher conditions,B次元官网网址� wrote Walker.
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