People living in a Fintry-area neighbourhood have become frustrated with the dusty, hole-riddled roads that are putting a damper on their quality of life.
“Fintry is a magical place, it’s a beautiful place to live, but when you get out here and you spend time out here, the road is the problem,” Troy Van Dyk, an Upper Fintry resident, said Wednesday.
Van Dyk moved to Upper Fintry from Vancouver Island three years ago and since then has seen a never-ending stream of road issues, regardless of the season.
“In the winter, it’s the lack of winter maintenance and in the summer it’s washboards, potholes and dust. The dust is probably one of the worst things,” he said.
He isn’t alone in raising concerns. Ron Dewhurst, who has lived in Upper Fintry for seven years, said dust has caused him non-stop issues.
“I can’t take a lot of dust, and I’ve (heard from) a few other people here who have the same thing, so I’ve even said from a social standpoint … maybe it’s time to get a lawyer involved,” he said.
Together they’ve sent countless emails over the years to AIM Roads, the contractor responsible for maintaining area roads, as well as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. So far, nothing has been done.
Van Dyk, who worked in road construction for nearly 40 years, would like to see the roads paved.
“Even in conditions like where it’s wet, it’s just mud,” he said. “There’s no gravel here anymore, it’s mud, it’s organic and there’s sand, so yeah, I’d say it’s a good time to get it done. Do it before the prices go up.”
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a statement on Thursday that potholes have been appearing quickly throughout the Okanagan because of the freeze-and-thaw conditions experienced this winter.
“Our local maintenance contractor, AIM Roads, is continually patrolling, identifying, and repairing potholes daily as part of their routine highways maintenance to ensure safety for drivers,” the ministry statement said.
“AIM Roads is regularly monitoring Dunwaters subdivision roads (where the men live), but there is too much moisture in the road to grade at this time without causing significant damage to the roadway.”
The ministry said AIM currently has a grader in the Westside Road area, which connects Fintry to Kelowna and Vernon, doing minor repairs to roads with more suitable conditions.
“Once conditions allow, AIM will work to address the pothole situation on the Dunwaters subdivision roads,” the ministry said.