iN VIDEO: Icy conditions in Kamloops problematic for both drivers and road crews | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kamloops News

iN VIDEO: Icy conditions in Kamloops problematic for both drivers and road crews

A pickup truck is pictured pulling a CUSCO truck from a slippery patch in Kamloops earlier this week.
Image Credit: TWITTER/ Melissa Benson

For the past week, much of B.C. has been experiencing a cold snap making for hazardous driving conditions.

In Kamloops, Melissa Benson works across from a slippery intersection that has been causing issues for many drivers over the past week.

One incident she captured on video showed a small pickup truck pulling a large CUSCO tanker truck off the slippery patch.

 

 

 

She posted some of the incidents to social media while also tagging the City of Kamloops and the Ministry of Transportation to bring the intersection to their attention.

“Vehicles coming from River Street turning right onto Highway 5 southbound towards the Highway 1 on-ramp can’t get traction, and their tires are just spinning and spinning,” Benson says, adding she began to notice the issues on Jan. 14.

According to an emailed statement from the Ministry of Transportation, Highway 5 at River Street is a location that has one of the highest level of service by crews from Argo Road Maintenance.

“The maintenance contractor is required to proactively patrol and treat slippery conditions every 90 minutes and respond to slippery conditions within an hour of them being reported,” the statement says.

The ministry added the recent cold weather across the region has been especially challenging for road crews across the Interior as crews are unable to apply chemicals to remove compact snow as de-icing chemicals are not effective at these temperatures.

“In these situations, our contract allows for the highway to be kept with a compact snow surface and requires our contractors to provide traction through ice blading and applications of winter abrasive until temperatures permit the road to be plowed bare,” the statement says.

Benson says she has seen several cars get stuck in the area.

“I have seen probably between 15 to 25 vehicles unable to get onto Highway 5 on their first attempts,” she says. “Most have to back up and move closer to the left side of the road before they can get onto the highway.”

Yesterday, Jan. 16,  Benson says she noticed a City of Kamloops sanding truck and the area had been sanded.

The ministry advises drivers to plan ahead and take extra time to drive accordingly to conditions.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Karen Edwards or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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