Lac le Jeune Road has been in rough shape for years, but now it's in an unsafe condition and leads drivers to swerve in blind corners, Charlie Meloche said.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Charlie Meloche

Pot holes have been crumbling into Lac le Jeune Road near Pineview for years, but holes have turned to craters this spring.

"We're talking lane-wide holes," Charlie Meloche told iNFOnews.ca.

Meloche has worked at the nearby industrial park for seven years and drives on Lac le Jeune daily. He said it's been in poor shape for years, but since Christmas, the potholes have expanded, creating unsafe conditions.

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"I've had a number of close calls myself," he said. "It's very unsafe."

Along with the ongoing traffic from Trans Mountain Pipeline workers, the mix of passenger vehicles and heavy trucks can pose a safety concern as drivers try to avoid large pot holes in blind corners. Meloche said after several reports to the City of Kamloops, all that's come to the street is "bumpy road" hazard signs.

While there are businesses at the nearby Bowers Industrial Area and residents that live at the Iron Mask Trailer Court further up the road, the bulk of traffic on Lac le Jeune is for recreation.

Meloche said drivers often swerve to avoid Lac le Jeune Road potholes, but a head-on collision is only a matter of time in these blind corners.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Charlie Meloche

City streets and environmental service manager Glenn Farrow, however, said Lac le Jeune is a top priority for this year's slated road work.

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"The reality is this road has been on our road plan for a long time. Ideally, it would have been done last year but our dollars only go so far," he said.

Farrow did not offer a confirmed date, but he said a full repaving of Lac le Jeune is expected to begin this spring. He added that the majority of traffic on the road is recreational, with back country enthusiasts, campers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers travelling that way year-round.

"It's beyond the point of patching and band-aids," Farrow said. "The potholes are no longer the size of a hard hat... we're looking at craters now."

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Farrow said because the pavement has crumbled down to gravel in some sections, which got worse as drivers travel further south toward Iron Mask, it will require a more fulsome repaving than just patchwork. 

This will include tearing pavement out down below the gravel layer, then rebuild from the base.

Lac le Jeune Road repair is one of several infrastructure projects planned in the city this year. Others include repaving on Fortune Drive and water main work in various parts of Kamloops.

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