The City of Grande Prairie says it is working on ways to give drivers a smoother ride down 68 Avenue. For the second year in a row, the spring thaw has caused the dips made in the road for drainage to sink down even further leading to a bumpy ride.
Capital Planning and Construction Manager Matt Hinton says the city has heard concerns and will be looking to address them this year so it doesn’t happen again.
“Right now we’ve been monitoring it and trying to look at what solutions we can come up with here in the spring and into the summer to see if we can address that for next spring to try and eliminate those dips.”
The dips in the road were installed during the twinning of 68 Avenue from 108 Street to Poplar Drive. Work took two construction seasons instead of one, due to poor weather and unexpected setbacks and also came in over budget. Hinton said previously that the point of the dips is to move stormwater away from the area.
“It collects the water and takes it to the catch basins, which takes it underground to the creek. What’s happening in the spring right now with the areas at the bottom of the dips, there’s an extra little dip, and that’s what the banging is as you drive over it.”
As it stands right now, Hinton says he’s currently unsure of how to fix the problem.
“Right now we’re still trying to come up with some ideas and what the best possibility is going to be to do it. We’re not sure exactly what we’re going to do yet but we’re looking at some ideas.”
In the meantime, he also says drivers should be cautious of where they’re going and take it slow. People who are concerned about a particular area can call the city’s Engineering Department at 780-538-0300.