The Regional District of Mount Waddington is looking into a new way to repair Telegraph Cove Road.
At the RDMW meeting June 16, Operations Manager Patrick Donaghy told the board there is a section of the road that is settling and needs to be repaired.
The location of the repair is the section of Telegraph Cove Road above the TimberWest dryland sort.
“It would appear that the sub-base material is not sufficiently bedded in and there appears to be some lateral displacement of the sub-base material towards the downstream bank. The loss of material is causing the road to sag on the outside edge,” explained Donaghy. It was estimated after discussions with several firms that the cost to fix the problem would be around $90,000. However, one contractor had said they could do the job using grid material for about $18,300.
“I wanted to do some checking to see if this (method) has been widely accepted,” Donaghy said.
He asked the board for conditional approval to try this method of repair subject to confirmation that it has been successfully used for highways elsewhere.
“I’m wondering if it would be a good idea to tender this project?” asked District of Port Hardy Mayor Hank Bood.
Donaghy said the RDMW did not have enough money in the Telegraph Cove Road Maintenance reserve to do the work at $90,000, however there is enough to cover $18,300.
Area “A” representative Heidi Soltau agreed with Bood.
“We should do an official call for proposals,” Soltau said.
“As I said, we serve the board,” said Donaghy. In the end, the board approved the request conditional on positive feedback about its use in other areas, with Bood voting against the motion.
“The road needs fixing, it has to be done,” said Chair David Rushton representative from Area “D.”