Lanfear Hill is now open to traffic, but the City of Terrace still has work to do to fully complete repairs and upgrades on the road and shoulder.
“When the paving contractor is available, they will be patching damage to the asphalt road and curb due to construction and also paving the widened area near the lock block wall. At that point, the sandbags, which are temporarily placed to avoid erosion, will be removed,” said Jonathan Lambert, director of public works and engineering, in an email.
“We also have a storm drain to replace along the bank, a light to replace (BC Hydro), placement of some soil and seeding over the exposed gabion baskets, and some general cleanup at the top and bottom where the lay-down areas were.”
That means that while the road is officially open to traffic, drivers can still expect some traffic controls and minor delays.
The road was first closed closed on Aug. 3 for city crews to shore up the walkway after portions of it began sliding away earlier this year. Crews removed existing material from the narrow walkway and replaced it with compacted rockfill and other material.
Originally slated to reopen on Aug. 15, the closure was extended until Aug. 23 as more time was needed. City officials pegged $360,000 for the work and are now saying the project came in under budget.
Crews also widened the section of road at the lock-block wall, called a “pinch point” because the road width narrows noticeably there.
The intent is to provide enough room so that vehicles going down the hill don’t travel into the uphill lane causing drivers of vehicles going uphill to steer into the walkway area.
On Aug. 13 council earmarked an additional $25,000 to widen a section of walkway down the hill from the “pinch point,” so that it would be a similar width to the rest of the shoulder. However, due to time constraints, that work was not completed but the city said it will be considering what can be done in the coming weeks.
Crews will be re-topping the gravel walkway with a high-fines surfacing aggregate next spring after the shoulder material has settled.
The work is expected to have a lifespan of five years with city council hoping to secure the money for a more extensive rebuild of the entire roadway during this period.
— With files from Rod Link
READ MORE: City mulls more fixes to Lanfear Hill, road closure extended