Skip to content

County council hears pavement to be removed from certain road

Road near Lakedell Ag Society will return to gravel
13428521_web1_170728-WPF-M-Wetaskiwin-county-office-2WEB

County of Wetaskiwin council examined the regular Public Works department report Aug. 14.

The report was submitted by department head Neil Powell during the Public Works regular meeting.

Public Works report

Powell’s report stated: “Patrol operators and County gravel haulers continued to work and maintain graveled roads. Most are now in decent shape with some spot graveling left to complete in areas.

“The reclamation of the Gwynne Hill slide is nearing completion. The road and embankment have been restored and crews have installed 350 mm of granular base course (GBC) in preparation for paving. They will be monitored for the balance of the year and into the next to determine if there is any movement in the slope. If the slide area remains stable, pavement can be applied through the slide section. The road is open, however some work remains that includes the application of topsoil, installation of an erosion control blanket to the south embankment and seeding. This work will be done in early September.

“Crews are patching sections of RR 12, from Hwy 13 to the Lakedell Agricultural Society, a distance of 850m. This pavement was applied a few years ago and has deteriorated quickly since. The problem is that the pavement was applied directly to a clay subgrade and not on top of granular base course. In September Public Works plans to cold mill the remaining pavement and return the road to a gravel road status. Once it is done, the road will be bladed, graveled and maintained with dust control. Council will need to determine if this road is to be upgraded to a proper pavement structure which is likely a strategic planning and budget consideration, and can be grouped with other roads in the area to gain efficiencies in scale. The cost to grade, base and pave this section of road is estimated at $550,000.”

During discussion Powell noted the asphalt was laid incorrectly, is coming apart and requires constant maintenance, and told councilors it wasn’t a safe situation and was also a waste of money to leave as-is.

“First lift of paving within Phase 1 of the Dorchester development has been completed,” continued Powell in his report.

“The developer planned to have the first lift of ACP completed this year along with the completion of electrical and further lot development. Lots are selling and several more park homes have been moved in and situated. This is a marked improvement to last year and remaining work includes the installation of a sewage lift station and water treatment plant.

“The 2018 Road Construction Project(s) are proceeding. The work is being done by Netook Construction Ltd. and ROHI Engineering consulting. Currently, the crew is working on Twp rd 472 west of Hwy 2A and done, will progress west to TR 480 (ditching) and grade upgrades to the Battle Lake Trail.

“Phase 2 of the South Regional Pigeon Lake Wastewater System is a month into construction and involves forcemain installation and the build of the lift station. This will take several months with an expected October completion.”

Stu.salkeld@pipestoneflyer.ca