Letter to the Editor

As a retired 35-year highway administration worker, we can only feel and pray for the workers and private folks who drive the roads system in the East Kootenay.

And hope the existing road and bridge contractors will provide better service for the areas through the East Kootenay in the 2017/2018 winter season.

Some known problem areas are as follows…

Not enough trucks equipped with under-body snow-plows. A snow-plow truck without an under-body plow simply packs and compacts the snow as it drives across the fallen snow.  Underbody plows were used successfully since the 1955 era by the ministry and previous contractors, yet the existing contractor cannot see why compacted snow is getting ahead of their operations in winter, and chooses to let the compacted snow become thick ice, thinking they can melt it off from the top after its formed.

Frequent snow-plow passes during storms is the only was to keep the snow from being compacted by traffic and during storms. Graders with ice blades are required to shave off the ice that form between vehicle tire passes.

For public safety and preventing ICBC rates from escalating due to accidents and injuries or death claims, sand must be applied to hills and curves and school bus routes and all highway routes. Ice cannot be melted off after two or three inches have formed by applying chemicals on top of the ice, otherwise glare ice conditions occur.  Properly scheduled snow-plow passes helps prevent compact ice from forming.

Chemicals are best applied on the road surfaces prior to snowfalls depending on temperatures.

At this date – early August – most sand stockpiles and salt treated sand stockpiles should be completed and strategically placed for easy access to prevent long travel trips for sand materials.

It’s now time to select re-hires for the winter shifts and arrange training periods and calibration of sander units to prevent materials waste and ensure correct application rates are established by materials flow tests.

Trying to save money by not doing it right the first time does not produce customer satisfaction and provides accident prevention in the process and the ministry sits back and wonders what is causing the problems because it pre-pays for the service. Simply issuing a failing grade report card will not plow or sand roads (give your head a shake).

Rubenoff Johnson,

Nelson

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