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County rebuilding flooded road

A portion of Fertile Forest Road heading north on Highway 53 needs to be rebuilt as it is in a low-lying area and has been flooding

A portion of Fertile Forest Road heading north on Highway 53 needs to be rebuilt as it is in a low-lying area and has been flooding recently.

“We’ve got serious water issues there,” said CAO Charlie Cutforth.

One mile of the road was built with minimal construction about 20 years ago and few trees were cleared as property owners at the time did not want to remove trees along the road. Cutforth suggests since the county is responsible for the road they should rebuild it to meet road requirements.

Agreements from landowners will need to be made but he believes they would prefer to solve the flooding issues. Clearing the ditches would not help either, added Herb Schwingel, public works superintendent. “If everything was cleared out it would be trapped in the ditches along the road.”

“It’s just a low, low spot,” said Reeve Gord Svenningsen.

Coun. Gawney Hinkley agreed with the plan and wanted the county to do the work as soon as possible. “Why don’t we put it on this year’s road program?”

Agreements and material will need to be acquired before the county can start.

Rain affecting road construction

Heavy rains over the summer have slowed down Ponoka County’s road upgrades.

The report came from Schwingel, during a meeting Aug. 12. “It’s getting rained out everywhere.”

Approximately 30 miles have been planned for this season but Schwingel believes about 10 per cent is actually complete. However gravel work is 90 per cent complete and quite a bit of dust abatement with calcium chloride has been conducted.

The county is also in discussion with a gravel pit north of the county’s Rimbey shop, says Cutforth. They hope to negotiate a price that may save the county money in the future.

“We’re going to save at least $2 a tonne with trucking in that location,” said Cutforth.

There is some concern over the quality of gravel, so Schwingel intends to try out the gravel with smaller projects before making a commitment. He feels there may be too much sand and clay.