Heavy and prolonged rain Wednesday, Dec. 10 led to something of a washout on Channel Ridge Drive, briefly snarling the only remaining road to many houses as workers rushed to ensure it was safe to cross.
Salt Spring Island Fire Chief Jamie Holmes said responding fire crews found water had undermined a section of roadway and closed Channel Ridge Road to traffic for a little less than an hour, until road crews could assess the situation and make temporary repairs.
“It looked pretty good from the surface, but the road was just being held up by the asphalt,” said Holmes. “There wasn’t a lot of substance underneath.”
Emcon Services Inc. operations manager Andrew Gaetz said when road workers arrived they found another of the island’s aging culverts had failed. Firefighters helped control traffic while crews placed steel plating, allowing some traffic to flow through.
Emcon crews returned later in the week, briefly re-opening the closed section of Broadwell Road to vehicles while the Channel Ridge Drive culvert was being replaced. Gaetz said they finished installing the new culvert there by 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12.
Broadwell Road, which had been closed since an earlier washout at Duck Creek, is once more blocked off and will remain so until next year.
Northridge & ministry part ways on Alders Avenue work
In other roadwork news, Northridge Excavating Ltd.’s operators and flaggers were spotted pulling out of the ongoing excavation work on Alders Avenue Friday, Dec. 12, with new faces now assessing the project.
Northridge Excavating Ltd. project manager Bob Mitchell said the ministry and Northridge “could not agree on a few things,” and confirmed that while Northridge crews continued work elsewhere along Fulford-Ganges Road, the contractor had been released from obligations to complete the Alders Avenue work — now “safely handed over to the ministry,” he said.
Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) officials Tuesday characterized the additional crews as “reinforcements,” saying they would help ensure remaining tasks there were completed “safely and efficiently during the storm season.”
“Given the complexity of this project and recent challenging weather conditions, [MOTT] has brought in additional crews with specialized expertise to support the final drainage outfall stages of work,” according to a statement.
This story has been updated since publication to add comment from the ministry.