RDCK votes to allow temporary rezoning for Highway 6 resurfacing
By Erin Perkins
Despite some opposition, the road resurfacing project and the temporary re-zoning application to remove gravel from a site in the Village of Ymir was approved unanimously by the directors of the Central Kootenay Regional District (RDCK) last week.
“The project is moving forward and we’re clearing the grounds now and I expect a crusher in place shortly,” said Peter Muirhead, a consultant for Selkirk Paving.
“It has to go quickly because the job is all weather related.”
The 90-day temporary use permit will allow government contractor Selkirk Paving to remove and crush gravel from 6017 Kapak Road owned by Eggers Forest Products Ltd. starting this month.
The gravel will be used in resurfacing 16 kilometers of Highway 6 from Strom Road, south of Nelson, to Hall Siding.
Since getting approval at the regular board meeting on Thursday, Aug. 16, Selkirk Paving has been moving forward rapidly on the project so it will be done before winter.
The RDCK Area G Advisory Planning Committee (APC) and Selkirk Paving held a public meeting for the village of 200 people earlier this month to hear their concerns about the noise and smell the crusher and paving equipment will create during road construction.
“I listened very carefully,” said Area G director Hans Cunningham.
“It is my job to be impartial. I can understand (the community member’s) reasons … The fact is the road needs to be paved and they have to get the aggregate from somewhere.”
Selkirk Paving also understands.
The company has many different ways of helping mitigate the impact this temporary situation may have on the six neighbours who live around the property where the processing will take place.
Some of their strategies include the use of a neutralizer in the asphalt mixture to reduce smell, and water, which is also recycled, to stop the dust particulate created by the crusher.
The school bus stop that is located beside the property on Kapak Road will be moved across the street to keep the children safe. While constructing the road, Selkirk Paving will also be putting in a safer bus turnaround, said Cunningham.
Cunningham said the only concern the RDCK directors had over the application was how quickly it needed to be dealt with.
“The board was not impressed with the rushed nature of (the application),” said Cunningham.
“Usually it takes six months but this one was rushed because of the washouts we had in the spring. This road wasn’t originally supposed to be done this year…. But what do we do?”
Although the permit is for 90 days, Selkirk Paving hopes to have the project completed within six weeks.
The project will operate between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. According to Muirhead, for the first 20 days two loaders and one generator will be used to crush the aggregate.
Then a mobile asphalt plant will be moved onto the site and operate for another 20 days along with one loader, one generator and about 65 trucks and pups to deliver the asphalt to the pavers on the road.
Earlier this month the provincial government announced Selkirk Paving had been awarded a A $3.4-million contract to pave 14 kilometres of Highway 6 along with several other smaller projects.
Comments