Tim Smith, operations manager for Lakes District Maintenance (LDM) acknowledged the need for the rights of way along Hwy. 16 to be cleared.

“We have identified Hwy. 16 as a high priority area for maintenance work,” he said.

Smith went on to explain that although Hwy. 16 has been identified as needing work, LDM have not been able to clear brush along the roadsides and any maintenance will instead be the responsibility of a private contractor.

“The area from Wakefield Rd. near Houston to Priestly Hill east of Burns Lake has been identified by LDM as a high priority area for brushing, however LDM have been advised not to proceed with any works due to an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation,” he said.

“The Ministry have already placed an advertisement for a tender contract for the works in that area as a result of federal and provincial government funding for infrastructure becoming available, if LDM were to complete the work along Hwy. 16 it would consume three to four years of our time and then nothing else in the area would get done,” Smith continued.

According to Smith, LDM work on a quantified works basis for brushing, ditching and grading and are paid for a certain amount of units per activity, per year.

“As an example, and a rough estimate, LDM are

paid for approximately 60 km of brushing in our service area, if we clear brush for 70 km we will not be paid for the extra 10 km of work,” explained Smith.

The quantified works contract restricts LDM to identifying the areas that are most in need of work.

As a result, LDM have recently been concentrating on areas of high priority, other than Hwy. 16 in order to fill their quantified works orders.

“We have recently been completing works along Hwy. 118 near Granisle, this area was also identified as a high priority area,” added Smith.

Both summer and winter maintenance is carried out by LDM and is considered to be of equal importance.

“Over the winter months LDM work on sites that are too wet to be brushed in the summer months, the snow is very deep and many of the hill sides are very steep and as a result there will always be some stumpage left under the snow. The winter work that we do will never be as neat as if it was completed in the summer,” Smith said.

Richard Lokken from the Burns Lake office of the Ministry of Transportation said, “The contract for the work along Hwy. 16 has recently been awarded to local contractor Travis McKee.”

“We are hoping to get the work started on June 22, with a completion date prior to August 3, 2009,” he continued.

Lokken went on to say that the scope of the work that would be completed by McKee would include the hand brushing and machine brushing of the Hwy. 16 rights of way in the areas from Burns Lake to the Six Mile break check.

“Over the years there has been some work completed in this area, but it has not been extensive,” Lokken noted.

According to Smith, the amount of clearing completed is dependent on the road in question.

“Hwy. 16 is the widest right of way we have in our works area,” he said.

“We measure from the centre line and Hwy. 16 gets cleared approximately 80 or 90 metres, with half of the 80 or 90 on either side,” he noted.

In essence Hwy. 16 receives approximately a 45 metre right of way cut on each side.

The clearing of roadside vegetation is important not only for the aesthetics of the area but because vegetation encroachment is dangerous for motorists in a variety of ways.

Lines of sight are significantly reduced making safe and clear sight distances more difficult.

Animals such as moose, deer and bears are attracted to roadside forage.

Reducing the vegetation in these areas also reduces the risk of vehicles colliding with the foraging animals.

According to the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, spring is of particularly high risk for vehicle and animal collisions as new green roadside forage attracts such animals.

Roadside vegetation management is also important as the chance of roadside fires breaking out is reduced when brush and small trees are cleared.

Tim Smith, operations manager for Lakes District Maintenance (LDM) acknowledged the need for the rights of way along Hwy. 16 to be cleared.

“We have identified Hwy. 16 as a high priority area for maintenance work,” he said.

Smith went on to explain that although Hwy. 16 has been identified as needing work, LDM have not been able to clear brush along the roadsides and any maintenance will instead be the responsibility of a private contractor.

“The area from Wakefield Rd. near Houston to Priestly Hill east of Burns Lake has been identified by LDM as a high priority area for brushing, however LDM have been advised not to proceed with any works due to an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation,” he said.

“The Ministry have already placed an advertisement for a tender contract for the works in that area as a result of federal and provincial government funding for infrastructure becoming available, if LDM were to complete the work along Hwy. 16 it would consume three to four years of our time and then nothing else in the area would get done,” Smith continued.

According to Smith, LDM work on a quantified works basis for brushing, ditching and grading and are paid for a certain amount of units per activity, per year.

“As an example, and a rough estimate, LDM are

paid for approximately 60 km of brushing in our service area, if we clear brush for 70 km we will not be paid for the extra 10 km of work,” explained Smith.

The quantified works contract restricts LDM to identifying the areas that are most in need of work.

As a result, LDM have recently been concentrating on areas of high priority, other than Hwy. 16 in order to fill their quantified works orders.

“We have recently been completing works along Hwy. 118 near Granisle, this area was also identified as a high priority area,” added Smith.

Both summer and winter maintenance is carried out by LDM and is considered to be of equal importance.

“Over the winter months LDM work on sites that are too wet to be brushed in the summer months, the snow is very deep and many of the hill sides are very steep and as a result there will always be some stumpage left under the snow. The winter work that we do will never be as neat as if it was completed in the summer,” Smith said.

Richard Lokken from the Burns Lake office of the Ministry of Transportation said, “The contract for the work along Hwy. 16 has recently been awarded to local contractor Travis McKee.”

“We are hoping to get the work started on June 22, with a completion date prior to August 3, 2009,” he continued.

Lokken went on to say that the scope of the work that would be completed by McKee would include the hand brushing and machine brushing of the Hwy. 16 rights of way in the areas from Burns Lake to the Six Mile break check.

“Over the years there has been some work completed in this area, but it has not been extensive,” Lokken noted.

According to Smith, the amount of clearing completed is dependent on the road in question.

“Hwy. 16 is the widest right of way we have in our works area,” he said.

“We measure from the centre line and Hwy. 16 gets cleared approximately 80 or 90 metres, with half of the 80 or 90 on either side,” he noted.

In essence Hwy. 16 receives approximately a 45 metre right of way cut on each side.

The clearing of roadside vegetation is important not only for the aesthetics of the area but because vegetation encroachment is dangerous for motorists in a variety of ways.

Lines of sight are significantly reduced making safe and clear sight distances more difficult.

Animals such as moose, deer and bears are attracted to roadside forage.

Reducing the vegetation in these areas also reduces the risk of vehicles colliding with the foraging animals.

According to the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, spring is of particularly high risk for vehicle and animal collisions as new green roadside forage attracts such animals.

Roadside vegetation management is also important as the chance of roadside fires breaking out is reduced when brush and small trees are cleared.