T
The Fish Assassin
Guest
From the T/C.
Port Renfrew residents are furious that they were shut out of $174 million in federal and provincial money to fix B.C. highways, saying their road remains dangerously unstable after mudslides and floods in January.
The government funding announced last week bypassed Vancouver Island and is earmarked for five projects in B.C.'s southern Interior. "That was a slap in the face," said Rosie Betsworth, a director on the town's chamber of commerce.
Portions of Highway 14 between Jordan River and Port Renfrew are still down to one "scary" lane, Betsworth said, with parts of the other lane crumbled away, blocked off by a concrete barrier. In other spots, she said, landslides have washed away the banks, leaving a sheer cliff at the side of the road.
Before the funding announcement, Betsworth sent letters to B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird. "To turn around and to allot that money everywhere else but Vancouver Island ... how dare they?" Betsworth said.
More infrastructure funding is on the way and some money will be heading to the Island, said Dave Crebo, spokesman for the Transportation Ministry, although he didn't specify what's in the cards for Port Renfrew.
Dan Tennant, the town's fire chief, said the roads are unsafe for large fire trucks and B.C. ambulance crews transporting patients to Victoria. "Before the slides it was bad, but it's gotten worse after the slides," he said, adding repairs are badly needed for more than just safety reasons.
The tiny community depends on fishermen and campers -- often towing boats or driving RVs -- that flock to the area in the summer, said Tennant, but many don't come back because the roads are so bad. Drivers that deem the main road out of Port Renfrew too treacherous have resorted to using an old logging road that cuts through Lake Cowichan and down to Duncan, and that, for five kilometres, is nothing but gravel.
Contradicting Betsworth, Rick Gill, general manager for Mainroad South Island Contracting, said most of the road repairs have been completed, save for some widening that will be done in the spring. "It's back to the way it was before the slides," Gill said.
But Tennant said what is desperately needed is a permanent fix that will prevent slides from happening the next time heavy rain falls.
"All they've done is gone around and patched up the damage. There's been nothing done to make sure it doesn't happen again."
What about Bamfeild too? They have needed pavement since 1979!
Take only what you need.
Port Renfrew residents are furious that they were shut out of $174 million in federal and provincial money to fix B.C. highways, saying their road remains dangerously unstable after mudslides and floods in January.
The government funding announced last week bypassed Vancouver Island and is earmarked for five projects in B.C.'s southern Interior. "That was a slap in the face," said Rosie Betsworth, a director on the town's chamber of commerce.
Portions of Highway 14 between Jordan River and Port Renfrew are still down to one "scary" lane, Betsworth said, with parts of the other lane crumbled away, blocked off by a concrete barrier. In other spots, she said, landslides have washed away the banks, leaving a sheer cliff at the side of the road.
Before the funding announcement, Betsworth sent letters to B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird. "To turn around and to allot that money everywhere else but Vancouver Island ... how dare they?" Betsworth said.
More infrastructure funding is on the way and some money will be heading to the Island, said Dave Crebo, spokesman for the Transportation Ministry, although he didn't specify what's in the cards for Port Renfrew.
Dan Tennant, the town's fire chief, said the roads are unsafe for large fire trucks and B.C. ambulance crews transporting patients to Victoria. "Before the slides it was bad, but it's gotten worse after the slides," he said, adding repairs are badly needed for more than just safety reasons.
The tiny community depends on fishermen and campers -- often towing boats or driving RVs -- that flock to the area in the summer, said Tennant, but many don't come back because the roads are so bad. Drivers that deem the main road out of Port Renfrew too treacherous have resorted to using an old logging road that cuts through Lake Cowichan and down to Duncan, and that, for five kilometres, is nothing but gravel.
Contradicting Betsworth, Rick Gill, general manager for Mainroad South Island Contracting, said most of the road repairs have been completed, save for some widening that will be done in the spring. "It's back to the way it was before the slides," Gill said.
But Tennant said what is desperately needed is a permanent fix that will prevent slides from happening the next time heavy rain falls.
"All they've done is gone around and patched up the damage. There's been nothing done to make sure it doesn't happen again."
What about Bamfeild too? They have needed pavement since 1979!
Take only what you need.
