Castor town council heard a report at their Oct. 12 regular meeting about a serious pavement problem near the intersection of 48th Street and 54th Ave. ECA Review/Google Maps
Castor town council heard a report from their chief administrative officer (CAO) stating that a failed portion of road can be traced back to administration allowing a contractor to “dig up” a street.
Councillors heard the report at the Oct. 12 regular meeting of council, one day later than usual because of Thanksgiving.
CAO Christopher Robblee reported to councillors he had inspected the intersection of 48th Street and 54th Ave. which he’d been asked to do at a previous council meeting.
Robblee noted that as he looked at the section of road that appeared to be failing, it struck him as odd because the nearby areas were fine, while the usual signs of road failure, such as crocodile cracking, were not present.
Most readers would be familiar with what “crocodile cracking” of asphalt pavement looks like: a pattern of small to medium-sized squares that is usually, but not exclusively, blamed on overloads.
The CAO told council that he asked himself why this portion appeared to be sinking and other areas aren’t, and it struck him as “weird.”
Upon further investigation Robblee stated that when a nearby house was built Town of Castor administration gave permission for a contractor to dig up that section of road, which they did, to install or otherwise work on underground utilities.
The CAO stated it appears when the contractor was done and paved over the work, they did it too soon, as it’s standard practice to allow the excavated section to sit for at least a year to settle. The settling occurred anyway, and caused the pavement to settle too.
Robblee stated another problem could be that the excavated area was not properly compacted.
The CAO stated this is a large enough problem that town staff cannot do the repair themselves; a contractor will have to be hired. “It’s just too much, too big,” said Robblee.
Coun. Kevin McDonald asked if there was anything town staff could do to fix the problem themselves.
Robblee answered the project is too large for town staff to handle, as gravel and cold mix asphalt patching material won’t address an issue of this size.
Robblee stated the town office has to accept some responsibility for the problem.
“Administration should not have let a contractor dig up the road,” said Robblee. The CAO added that the work also should have been inspected by the town after it was finished, and it appears that wasn’t done.
The CAO pointed out a driveway and sidewalk nearby have also settled most likely due to this issue.
Robblee stated it was his opinion the repairs to this section of road require a multi-year approach. However, he noted winter isn’t here yet and if council wished a contractor could be hired to fix the problem before the ground freezes; he added the project budget is small enough it doesn’t need to be tendered.
Councillors asked Robblee if the sinking pavement was related to holes that the Town of Castor sank into the ground in that area in an effort to find a water leak. The CAO stated those holes had no effect on this issue.
Councillors unanimously agreed through a resolution to instruct Robblee to find a contractor who can fix the pavement problem before winter arrives.
Stu Salkeld, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
ECA Review
