229720
232884
Kamloops  

TNRD board will petition province to investigate Tranquille Criss Creek Road conditions

TNRD eyes rural road issues

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District will be asking the province to investigate road conditions on Tranquille Criss Creek Road, with the electoral area director reporting several resident complaints about the heavily-travelled route.

During Thursday’s board meeting, Michael Grenier, director for Electoral area J, presented directors with a draft copy of a letter intended to be delivered to Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure.

“This is the primary road for all the people that live in those communities — it is a terrible road. I was invited to drive that road instead of the road that goes up through the Deadman Valley. I’ve lived here for 27 years, and it's worse than the logging roads I've driven,” Grenier said.

“These people don't seem to be able to get anybody's attention. So in a nice way, I just thought we would bring this attention as a board to the province, not just as an individual area director letter, hoping the minister might take a look at this and see what's the right thing to do about this road.”

Grenier noted this was the number one issue raised by people living in the Tranquille, Alpine Valley and Red Lake areas.

Grenier’s draft letter notes the Tranquille Criss Creek Road is gravel after it crosses the CN rail line west of Kamloops Airport and Tranquille Farms.

The letter said the road connects rural residents with the City of Kamloops, and is a main commuter route as well a haul route for a mine, several logging operators and ranches.

“Sections of the road exhibit severe washboard and erosion at steep grades and switchbacks, making travel at any speed a hazard. Maintenance in these areas has been ineffective in addressing the chronic washboard conditions that emerge within days of regrading,” the letter said.

“It appears the road base and surface require permanent repair to accommodate commercial and communing vehicles that negotiate this route daily.”

Grenier told the board that people who travel along this road regularly have reported damage to their vehicles.

“It is so bad that contractors are no longer performing services,“ Grenier said, adding he's heard a farrier won't service an area due to the poor road conditions, and ranches have difficulty getting cattle liners.

"This is untenable for the businesses and the residents in this area, and it is the only route that they have to travel," Grenier said.

Doug Haughton, director for Electoral Area L, suggested sending a copy of the letter to the local road maintenance contractor, Argo Road Maintenance, as well.

“This might be more of the funding that the ministry has given the particular road maintenance contractor to service that road, it might not just be the contractors fault, it might be the funding formula,” Haughton said.

Margot Middleton, a Kamloops councillor and TNRD director, asked Grenier if residents are serviced by a school bus travelling that road.

“An avenue of added horsepower behind a complaint regarding the road could be further sort of amplified, shall we say, if the school board was to add concern in that now a service provider can’t service properly,” Middleton said.

“I think that's an excellent idea. I think the weight of this TNRD board was my objective in drafting this letter, copying Argo Road Maintenance, copying the school board, I think those are all appropriate things to do,” Grenier replied.

A motion to send the letter was carried by the board.



More Kamloops News

233022