MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - South McDougal Flats resident Christina McCharles is unhappy with the county's response to concerns she has voiced regarding Range Road (Rge. Rd.) 61 in the area.
McCharles filed a complaint regarding the road width, construction and safety, with the county providing a follow-up response. The chipseal roadway is west of Sundre, running north-south towards the Red Deer River from Township Road 324.
In her service request, McCharles said, “The width of Rge. Rd. 61 is inadequate in width for the type of commercial vehicles size the MVC (Mountain View County) has approved to be moving down this rad constantly. This road has a steep camber (side of road that slants toward the ditch/cross slope) on each side leaving less room for the width of gravel trucks.
“A heavy truck will avoid the steep cross slope. In addition the camber is uneven and poorly done and breaks away when a heavy truck does migrate into, in addition a heave truck can tip if does migrate into this steep cross slope.”
She also said that, “with the increase in commercial traffic (on the roadway) it is prudent for safety including quality assurance for road safety that come with an immediate fix for this road issue. Perhaps MVC needs to hire someone on staff to concentrate their effort in this regard.
“The cart before the horse is going to get someone killed.”
In response to McCharles’ complaint, the county sent her a letter, saying the county’s director of operations looked into the concerns and the following comments (quoted from letter):
• The width of this road is adequate for the current developments that use it.
• The county has invested money recently in paving the shoulders of the road.
• Operations can only paint centre lines and shoulder lines on paved county collectors roads, access to the county office and the Water Valley Golf Course road. This service level is at council discretion.
• The slide slopes on the road are currently adequate as the ditches are not very deep.
“In summary, this road is an older historical chisel road. The side slopes are irregular from the construction techniques used when it was built, and the ditches are shallow,” director Ryan Morrison said in the response letter. “This would have met county specifications back in 1999 when it was based. No safety concerns were identified.”
The investigation is complete and the file is closed, he said.
McCharles told the Albertan she is not happy with the county response and believes her concerns should be further addressed.
