West Kelowna overpass, retaining wall has collapsed.

[dirtguy]

What is a hi-hoe???

[Captain Awesome]

It seems to me that the flagpersons are pretty quick to stop highway traffic if there is one of the Ledcor vehicles waiting. I've seen them hold traffic both directions and wait for white pickups coming from much further up Nancee way.

Shouldn't the priority be to keep highway traffic moving? Perhaps not if you are paying for the flagpeople and the pickups.

I agree with the other posters lobbying for the return traffic lights. At least the lights won't discriminate.

Flaggers discriminate now?

Seriously, brake fluid isn't a good addition to your diet, please switch back to coffee.

[inquisitive]

As an outsider looking in:
1.If, as stated officially, the overpass is safe, then why is it still out of service?
2. Portable traffic light systems are readily available on rental and could/should have already been put into service at this site. Ledcor vehicles should not be given priority over highway traffic - after all, that pickup might be carrying nothing of importance other than the driver ( Duuugh?) - who may only be on his way to the coffee truck or to Johnny-on-the-spot for all the flag-person knows?
3. If repairs are already underway on one side of the highway and will be completed by late January then Ledcor must already know the cause of failure. How else can they forecast completion?
4. If Ledcor wishes to expedite completion of repairs then why have they not planned to make repairs to both sides run concurrently rather than consecutively? Surely, having established sustainable work and vehicular traffic patterns for the east side then these patterns would also be applicable to the west side?

[dirtybiker]

It seems to me that the flagpersons are pretty quick to stop highway traffic if there is one of the Ledcor vehicles waiting. I've seen them hold traffic both directions and wait for white pickups coming from much further up Nancee way.

Shouldn't the priority be to keep highway traffic moving? Perhaps not if you are paying for the flagpeople and the pickups.

I agree with the other posters lobbying for the return traffic lights. At least the lights won't discriminate.

I too must comment on this statement, and ask some questions;

Letting the workers through to get on with their jobs is the flagpersons job,
general public is secondary.
If you are paying the bill,and you are!, do you want all of the workers sitting, being non-productive?

Would an employer stop all of his/her employees from doing their jobs, just so
he could go to Timmies???

Flaggers have a very tough job, most of which is dealing with the
public that can not seem to grasp the "Why?" part of why things
are done in the manner that they are. ( no, I am not a flagger)

Being allowed access to produce is paramount to production.

[inquisitive]

It seems to me that the flagpersons are pretty quick to stop highway traffic if there is one of the Ledcor vehicles waiting. I've seen them hold traffic both directions and wait for white pickups coming from much further up Nancee way.

Shouldn't the priority be to keep highway traffic moving? Perhaps not if you are paying for the flagpeople and the pickups.

I agree with the other posters lobbying for the return traffic lights. At least the lights won't discriminate.

I too must comment on this statement, and ask some questions;

Letting the workers through to get on with their jobs is the flagpersons job,
general public is secondary.
If you are paying the bill,and you are!, do you want all of the workers sitting, being non-productive?

Would an employer stop all of his/her employees from doing their jobs, just so
he could go to Timmies???

Flaggers have a very tough job, most of which is dealing with the
public that can not seem to grasp the "Why?" part of why things
are done in the manner that they are. ( no, I am not a flagger)

Being allowed access to produce is paramount to production.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the flag person is REQUIRED FIRST to prioritize Ledcor's personnel/vehicles then just close off the highway. Now that doesn't make sense does it, but that is what is implied. If there was no vehicular traffic on the highway/roads then we wouldn't need flag persons - and so therefore the flag-person IS EMPLOYED TO KEEP VEHICULAR TRAFFIC FLOWING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ROADS, and not the other way around.
In an evolutionary way - first came the cop on duty at road intersections, and then came the traffic light (in an enlightened world).

[dirtybiker]

On any job site and, like it or not, that is what the highway in the vicinity of the overpass is,
all construction traffic is required to flow in order to eventually get the job done.


Think of it in a smaller scale..If you personally hired a piece of equipment....say a truck,
and you had to pay that truck $120.00 @ hr. for every hour, start to finish.

Now you hire a flagperson @ $18.00 hr. so as to be able to let that truck in and out
of your property safely.

Now, since you live on a main thoroughfare with heavy traffic.

Do you want, since you are paying the bill, that flagperson to stop the traffic for the truck?

or,

Make the truck wait until there is no traffic and then proceed?

What exactly do you think a flagpersons job is?

Who is the flagperson working for?

[inquisitive]

Relocate the flag persons to a more demanding location because in the case of longer-term traffic control conditions like this one it just doesn't make sense to ignore the efficiency of portable traffic lights at these locations.
(Besides which, Ledcor and /or its insurer - or its reserve funds - is paying for its portion of liability for tjhis mess, and not you and I. We, the tax-payer, are "only" (Ha! Ha!) on the hook for up to the contract value - we don't pay twice)

[BigBadBen]

If it is simple economics at play, then the monetary damage is far greater holding multiple commercial vehicles on the highway rather than a single pickup.

[Urbane]

As an outsider looking in:
1.If, as stated officially, the overpass is safe, then why is it still out of service?
2. Portable traffic light systems are readily available on rental and could/should have already been put into service at this site. Ledcor vehicles should not be given priority over highway traffic - after all, that pickup might be carrying nothing of importance other than the driver ( Duuugh?) - who may only be on his way to the coffee truck or to Johnny-on-the-spot for all the flag-person knows?
3. If repairs are already underway on one side of the highway and will be completed by late January then Ledcor must already know the cause of failure. How else can they forecast completion?
4. If Ledcor wishes to expedite completion of repairs then why have they not planned to make repairs to both sides run concurrently rather than consecutively? Surely, having established sustainable work and vehicular traffic patterns for the east side then these patterns would also be applicable to the west side?

All good questions. I'd like to know the answers to all of them and I too am puzzled as to how repairs are being made when (we're told) the cause has not yet been determined. That just doesn't seem logical to me.

[western_star]

What is a hi-hoe???

Its a machine with a hoe that has cat tracks, its not a backhoe with rubber tires.

[dzmann]

Hello

Why are the trailer park residents allowed passage through Nancy Way (via flaggers) yet other residents along Westside Rd have to take a 5-10 minute detour around Horizon Way. It would take the trailer park residents no longer than other residents along Westside Rd to make the detour around to Horizon. Clearly the WFN residents are getting preferential treatment (by who? - WFN no doubt). If they really wanted to efficiently manage traffic they would set up temporary traffic lights at Nancy Way. This whole process will take until April or longer.

Ivhadenuf

[johnhenry]

,

[Bsuds]

I think that under these circumstances that the flag person is there for the public.

More likely is there for everyone's safety.

[kay-c]

What is a hi-hoe???

Its a machine with a hoe that has cat tracks, its not a backhoe with rubber tires.

High hoe: NOUN ; A name truck drivers use rather than excavator. Verb; A lyric in a song dwarfs use to inspire efficiency.

[kay-c]

As an outsider looking in:
1.If, as stated officially, the overpass is safe, then why is it still out of service?
2. Portable traffic light systems are readily available on rental and could/should have already been put into service at this site. Ledcor vehicles should not be given priority over highway traffic - after all, that pickup might be carrying nothing of importance other than the driver ( Duuugh?) - who may only be on his way to the coffee truck or to Johnny-on-the-spot for all the flag-person knows?
3. If repairs are already underway on one side of the highway and will be completed by late January then Ledcor must already know the cause of failure. How else can they forecast completion?
4. If Ledcor wishes to expedite completion of repairs then why have they not planned to make repairs to both sides run concurrently rather than consecutively? Surely, having established sustainable work and vehicular traffic patterns for the east side then these patterns would also be applicable to the west side?

All good questions. I'd like to know the answers to all of them and I too am puzzled as to how repairs are being made when (we're told) the cause has not yet been determined. That just doesn't seem logical to me.

1. it cant have any vibrations on it while they repair it.

2.a.you cannot trust people to follow the rules without babysitters there.
2.b.We want the repair completed in as few days as possible. We will still make our destinations today.
2.c.Even lowly construction workers need coffee and bathroom breaks ,Am i right?

3.Anything that doesnt quite look like brand new wall ,has been removed and they are putting up new wall.Obviously the cause is known they said what it was. how did they forcast completetion of the entire 41million dollar job? this is just building a wall.

4.It is safer to do one side at a time. The other side is stabilized. There doesnt appear to be quite enough room to work on both either.