(Note: This file photo was not taken on Silver Star Road).
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
March 18, 2015 - 7:31 PM
VERNON - B.C.’s worst road is getting some love from the provincial government.
Silver Star Road in Vernon, voted number one in BCAA’s 2014 worst roads survey, is one of the items listed in a 10-year transportation plan released by the province. Sometime in 2015, the road will be resurfaced as part of an initiative to increase investment in the condition of sideroads across B.C.
Brad Baker, the operations manager at Silver Star Mountain Resort, has long been calling for improvements to the road and says the resurfacing project is a step in the right direction.
“Hopefully this is the start of addressing all the issues with the road,” Baker says.
He estimates about 1,500 vehicles drive the route every day around Christmas, with between 800 and 1000 mountain bikers on a busy summer Saturday or Sunday. The potholes and crumbling pavement have been a huge safety concern for the resort.
“On one section, on several occasions, I’ve witnessed vehicles in the oncoming lane because they’re trying to avoid potholes,” he says. “It’s hard on vehicles and it’s a major issue for emergency vehicles.”
The resort brought attention to the road through BCAA’s worst roads survey, even though it might have cost some business.
“Some people were calling the resort and saying if the road is that bad, they weren’t going to come,” Baker says. “We had no other choice. It seemed like it was what we needed to do to get the problem addressed. I’m pretty sure the squeaky wheel got the grease.”
The work is expected sometime in 2015 and while Baker hasn’t got firm details on what portions of Silver Star Road will be resurfaced, he anticipates it will be the stretch between Ladner Road and the upper switchbacks.
Further information about the project was requested from the province’s appointed media contact, but was not received by deadline.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015