Ruts on the hwy

[stevewilson]

These ruts between LC and UBCO made by heavy trucks/traffic are a terrible hazard. Might be the cause of so many head on crashes on that stretch.

[LoneWolf_53]

One most certainly needs to be aware of those ruts and drive accordingly, but most of the recent bad crashes have happened in areas where there are no ruts.

Given that the weather is agreeable also, I'd have to say that one would have to be completely oblivious to their driving responsibility for them to lose complete control on dry pavement. Those ruts are far more of a hazard during times of ice and snow.

[Bsuds]

The thread heading would be more accurate if it was "Nuts on the hwy"

RIP to the person who didn't make it and I hope the others get through this OK as well.
We may never know what caused this accident.

[GordonH]

Highway maintenance will be increasing more & more as train branch lines continue to shutdown. Less freight by trains equals more by big trucks which in turns means wear & tear on highway surfaces.

[steffanymonroe]

Yeah they are pretty terrible. Hydroplaning is awful, and then when it snows (with weather gradually getting colder) it pools ice and then covers up the ruts with fresh snow! Its so terrible!! The main highway shouldn't be a highway just the locals know how to drive safely.

[coffeeFreak]

They are really bad in some areas on the Coq too.

[GordonH]

Asphalt vs Concrete
Of course asphalt is considerable cheaper, needs to be resurfaced more often. Whereas concrete last much longer, is not cheap.
Here is something to look at: http://www.cement.ca/en/highways/buildi ... anada.html

[Glacier]

I noticed a few years back that the Tans-Canada through Manitoba was being paved with concrete. Same goes for the new freeways in the Edmonton area. Here in BC we like to go for the cheapest method possbile, however. No concrete and no divided highways for the most part.

[LoneWolf_53]

Good article Gordon H.

I agree, where I grew up concrete was commonly used for the freeway, and it simply outshines asphalt for performance and longevity.

Sure it costs more, but what is the cost of endless maintenance and in some instances practically semi annual resurfacing of asphalt roads?

I guess asphalt is great if you are aiming to keep Peter's Bros in the black, but not so great in the bigger picture, when you add up overall cost, and let's not forget to remember disruption to traffic flows and negative impact on businesses when asphalt roads need to be repaired over and over again.

That section of highway 97 from Old Vernon Road to the UBCO Campus didn't even make it one year before parts of it disintegrated and had to be dealt with again.

When you can't even get a full year out of a paving job, I'd say it's time to revisit the strategy, not to mention step up the quality control a notch or two.

This isn't Northern Ontario where you can blame the never ending freeze thaw cycles for destroying roads, as here in the valley bottom is about the best locale for roadway longevity available in Canada, which basically means, there's a huge issue with the quality of work being performed and construction methods being selected.

[Glacier]

You should see the awesome paving job on Creighton Valley Rd. (AKA Echo Lake Rd.) The old pavement had been on there for 20 years or more, but within one year the new pavement was in worse shape than the old stuff they replaced.

[danmartin]

The section of Commonage road (south of Predator Ridge) that was paved last Summer is of the same quality as Creighton Valley road. I believe they used the grindings from highway 97 and then did a cheap job in laying it.There were areas that were needing repair right away and by Spring there were numerous sections in several areas breaking up. There was also little prep work and now there are slumping shoulders with signage and pylons warning of the danger! I guess you get what you pay for!!!

[metallica]

Do like they do in Saskabush. We went through Outlook Sask. the speed was posted at 50K and the downtown core was terrible, this year same road and new speed of 40K next year it will be 30.

[Bsuds]

Do like they do in Saskabush. We went through Outlook Sask. the speed was posted at 50K and the downtown core was terrible, this year same road and new speed of 40K next year it will be 30.

I had a relative in Sasaskabush who owned mega farmland and used to drive his cadillac across the open fields. He rarely went that slow! Apparently wiped out more than 1 oil pan on rocks. lol

[Catri]

Even where there are no ruts the road doesn't seem to be banked or crowned properly for the water to drain off effectively. If they were to put down a concrete road, they'd have to do the prep work properly and I just don't see road building contractors being up to that around here. A fine example of the quality road construction on that highway is the curbing on the centre median heading south just before the UBCO flyover. It looks like the guys who laid it were drunk, but I guess it was deemed good enough by someone. It all leads me to wonder if the ruts aren't partly due to improper construction or even design of the roadbed and not just wear and tear on the asphalt. Seems that if the road surface itself is the problem, there would be ruts all the way from Winfield to Kelowna.

[zzontar]

Ruts on the hwy

That's kind of an easy question.... vehicles... maybe the odd roadkill...