A dip in the road next to the TransMountain pipeline construction is causing a bit of traffic havoc when it fills with water.
But both the City of Coquitlam and TransMountain say it will be fixed.
The issue was brought to the attention of the Tri-City News via a Burnaby resident who drove through the area and snapped a photo of the depression in the pavement.
Sara Ross who is with Protect the Planet said it looked like digging for the pipeline had caused a sinkhole, as it had happened along the Mary Hill bypass months ago as well as in Langley recently.
Hazard for motorists
“Our main concern is that Trans Mountain construction is eroding public infrastructure and causing a hazard for motorists — again.
“You can see the road and concrete barriers are slumping as a result of their adjacent work. Now there is flooding in that location, which is certainly a hazard for motorists,” Ross aid via email to the Tri-City News.
Ross noted that United Boulevard is already down to one lane and repairs could cause further problems.
“How will they fix it? Will they shut the whole road down? How do we know that further erosion won’t happen under the road where they are working?” Ross asked.
No sinkholes, says city
But both the City of Coquitlam and TransMountain say the road will be repaired and the depression is not a sinkhole.
“There are no sinkholes that we are aware of – there are some puddles where final pavement patch has not been completed,” stated Mark Zaborniak, manager of design and construction with the city.
He said Coquitlam will be discussion later today (Monday, June 19) with the TransMountain contractor about patching the low spots and removing the puddles.
Fixing the divot
TransMountain, meanwhile is calling the dip in the road a “divot” and acknowledged it is causing localized pooling of water on United Boulevard.
A media spokesperson said the divot would be “fixed permanently” during the final paving of United Boulevard.
Further, the spokesperson noted that the company conducted “extensive pre-construction condition assessments”
Plans are to continue to monitor and assess during construction, the spokesperson added.
No safety concerns
“When settlement is observed, repairs are completed immediately, and the site is monitored for further mitigation and settlement.
“There are no immediate safety concerns at the location, but lane closures may be necessary if further repairs are needed.”
