Truck slips off road into Wood Lake

[rlconzatti]

Hi! I commute this every day like many other people. This stretch at the present time is very dangerous! Especially where these accidents are happening! There have been two now! It is my opinion it is because the road is in such poor condition! At the edge of the road where the construction is are "sink holes" and pot holes. They attempt to fill them with rock and fill but they erode with the traffic and weather conditions. The slope of the road when it is icy and compounded by these pot holes and sink holes makes driving VERY treacherous! Also when they clean the road the snow is not totally removed and left in a heap by the concrete blocks...it then melts then freezes again...and the snow also covers the sink holes and uneven pavement making it easy for one to end up in the lake.

The sooner the construction in that area is done the better and are they just going to leave the existing road in the present mess it is in. These pot holes on the existing highway are all the way to Chrystal Waters in places! I see better roads in Peru!
Maybe it's the roads that are responsible for these accidents; not sure if anyone has considered this.

R/L Conzatti

[Rwede]

SLOW DOWN.

Problem solved.

[JJetson]

Its not necessarily about Speed at this spot. The original post does bring up a danger. Those pot holes are exactly where this latest truck went in and they pull you towards the lake if you hit them. There is no "shoulder" there, just lake. I have seen a van going 40mph or less hit those potholes and swerve dangerously into the oncoming lanes. There is no where for the oncoming traffic to go either. Slowing down is always a good idea. At this corner, not so sure it is about speed. FIX THE ROAD I agree.

[Rwede]

If the van swerved after hitting the potholes, it was due to a poorly maintained vehicle with play in the steering and suspension. A properly maintained vehicle would not do a dangerous sway.

When 500,000 vehicles travel the route before one hits the lake, it's not the fault of the potholes.

[JJetson]

If you drive that route - you will appreciate the poor condition the road is in right where this truck went in. Be it snow and ice, pot hole or whatever - there is basically nothing to stop you from entering the lake or wide shoulder to help bring yourself back into control. Travelling North - lakeside of the road.

[JustJay]

I don't get why they have not put no-posts in that section to avoid going in the lake. Cost maybe???
I drive that road at least 3 to 4 times a day. I agree that is an awful area at any time & worse especially when it snows.
The potholes/sink holes are brutal. I worry about wrecking my rim or tire if I hit one.
That area needs reflectors on the center line and on the shoulder. Would make it much easier to see where you are going especially at night. We locals know the roads but for the people that don't drive that daily/nightly it is a nightmare.

[rlconzatti]

Hi! Well this is no ordinary "pot hole" this is a "sink hole" where the water from Wood Lake is gradually eroding the existing road. They think it is a problem now wait for spring run off...lots of loose boulders on the rocks too...so be aware of this area...it is EXTREMELY dangerous and they have done NOTHING to help it except try and "fill" the sink hole many times to no avail...shoddy...they have even tried to black top it before the other woman went into the brink. This is the second time around same place...has NOTHING to do with speed OR the type of car you drive...another lame excuse...keep trying!
R/L Conzatti

[LoneWolf_53]

This is still a construction zone, consequently expecting there to be reflectors or guard rails in place, is a bit off base.

I see potholes all over the place, more so this winter because compared to the last three or four, we're actually getting a winter this year, and the roads show it. One needs to adjust their driving for road conditions, as well as acknowledge construction zones are going to be worse.

[rlconzatti]

Oh! PLEEEEEASE! I have driven that road for the last 30 years Vernon and back and I have NEVER seen such a disgusting lack proper road maintenance for a highway in all the years driven! Potholes EVERYWHERE! It isn't because of the winter! Try again! Sad state of affairs! I have NEVER seen it this bad! Disgusting! As I stated I have seen better roads in Peru! Maybe the government should hire them for road maintenance! They would at least get off their duff and do a proper job instead of the "hump and hollow" crew we have here!

[LoneWolf_53]

Perhaps you need to move to Peru then, if you lack the ability to navigate potholes.

I drove to and from Kamloops the other day and rest assured there are plenty of places with huge potholes, and they aren't solely beside Wood Lake either.

Before winter set in that stretch of road was fine, so what is it you expect them to do, repave it for you in mid winter?

We've been getting the type of weather that is the worst you could possibly get for roads, constantly going just above and below the freezing mark, much more than is usual, and the roads are showing it.

Suck it up, spring isn't that far away, then construction can resume and I'm sure they'll deal with it. For now all you're going to get is short lived temporary fixes.

[JustJay]

[quote="LoneWolf_53"]This is still a construction zone, consequently expecting there to be reflectors or guard rails in place, is a bit off base.

Off base REALLY????
Yes I know it is a construction zone I get that when I see the signs the barrels & the bright orange pillars south of the lights. Should that stuff be removed as they do have signage stating it is a construction zone? Come on.
I have drove through plenty of construction zones and yes I have seen reflectors on the road so you know where to drive. You literally drive on the shoulder of the road there so yes I do/would expect cement barriers there for my & others safety.

R/L Conzatti I totally agree with you. Guess others as we read are just invincible....and better slower drivers and if it ever happened to them we know they would just 'suck it up" and say "oops my bad"...YA RIGHT!!!!

[LoneWolf_53]

Try doing a construction zone speed limit, rather than expecting a stretch of road you can do your usual 30kph over on, and you might well fare better.

Might also want to look into how to do a quote properly! They give you the ability to preview a post for good reason.

[JJetson]

Hey Lone Wolf - come and see what we are talking about - I believe we are driving along this section at 40 to 50 kms in a 60 km zone. The mornings are black and you CANNOT define your lane. So we are going slow. It is not just a pot hole - it is the culvert from the construction under the road to the lake that is sinking and crumbling. There is no shoulder or barrier between you in your skinny construction lane and the lake. There is no definition of mid lane or shoulder. I followed a Van that entered the corner and proceeded to drive North in the on coming lane as they believed our proper Northbound lane was not a lane !
So easy does it. We are not Speeding. The road is in really bad repair without proper reflectors or guides. Not just a pothole. Glad the driver who went in the lake is okay !

[LoneWolf_53]

I agree with you the section has issues, but my point is I tend to raise my eyebrows when someone comes on here, states they drive it multiple times a day, yet have issues with it.

I've driven it lots myself, and hope that if weather cooperates they improve it for us soon, but in the meantime it's up to drivers to acknowledge it's there, and if it means doing 10kph to navigate it safely, then do 10kph until it's fixed.

The only way a pothole is going to throw your vehicle anywhere, is if you are clearly going too fast for road conditions.

I don't fancy spending my money on front end wheel alignments so I take note of bad areas and drive accordingly. It's all one can do at present.

[dirtybiker]

I agree with you the section has issues,

I don't fancy spending my money on front end wheel alignments so I take note of bad areas and drive accordingly. It's all one can do at present.

That hole has been there for a very long time, in different states of condition.
Since the construction lane is essentially forcing people to drive through it makes
it that much more of an issue to keep patched.
If you are a regular user of that route your memory should serve you to hold the
temporary centre line (not cross it) so as to avoid it, the oncomeing have plenty of room to accomodate.
I travel that way very often in a commercial vehicle as well as in my personal vehicle and I
have yet to hit it.
Yes, it is bad a getting worse.
The wet weather and temps. hovering above and below freezing are wreaking havok on all paved surfaces.