ROAD DETERIORATION AS A RESULT OF PINE BEETLE KILL WOOD (2006)
Recognition of the Pine Beetle epidemic and the impact that it is playing on the economy of BC, as well as the need for managing these results, has been recognized by the BC and Federal Governments.
To that end, dollars have been committed to study and analyze the epidemic and its impacts. It is important that steps are now taken to ensure that the impact of the pine beetle epidemic to our infrastructure is minimized and does not affect the safety of our roads.
Highways throughout the Province have seen an increase of truck traffic from 20 units an hour to over 100 units an hour. As a result road incidents attributable to log truck traffic have increased including 20 deaths in BC this year.
A recent informal Survey of Highway 97 north from Cache Creek to Prince George counted commercial trucks southbound. Tricks from the Forestry sector counted more than double all other commercial vehicles combined; 70 Log trucks, 54 Chip trucks, 91 Lumber trucks, for a total of 215. All other trucks accounted for only 101.
In a February 24, 2006 news release, Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon announced that the Ministry would be investing $30 million a year for the next three years for the rehabilitation of Interior roads affected by the increasing number of logging trucks carrying pine beetle kill wood. Minister Falcon said, “The increased heavy truck traffic means portions of the highway road structure will require resurfacing much sooner than originally planned”. We thank the Government for recognizing that the impact on our roads is a consequence of increasing the annual allowable cut to take in the pine beetle kill timber.
Currently these dollars are to be assigned to Provincial and Provincially managed roads. Like the Provincial highways, the increasing number of logging trucks carrying pine beetle kill wood has adversely affected the City roads that they use for transportation routes. This is especially true in community’s designated Tier 1 and Tier 2 locations.
Definition of Tier 1, 2 & 3 Communities
Tier 3 is the Greater Vancouver Regional District and its member municipalities
Tier 2 is the regional districts and municipalities of: Okanagan-Similkameen, Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Capital, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Fraser Valley, and Squamish-Lillooet.
Tier 1 is the rest of the Province.
THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS
That cities in Tier 1 and Tier 2 designations whose roads have been adversely affected by the increased number of logging truck carrying loads of pine beetle killed wood, be allocated a portion of the $30 million a year for rehabilitation of roads in their municipalities.
Recognition of the Pine Beetle epidemic and the impact that it is playing on the economy of BC, as well as the need for managing these results, has been recognized by the BC and Federal Governments.
To that end, dollars have been committed to study and analyze the epidemic and its impacts. It is important that steps are now taken to ensure that the impact of the pine beetle epidemic to our infrastructure is minimized and does not affect the safety of our roads.
Highways throughout the Province have seen an increase of truck traffic from 20 units an hour to over 100 units an hour. As a result road incidents attributable to log truck traffic have increased including 20 deaths in BC this year.
A recent informal Survey of Highway 97 north from Cache Creek to Prince George counted commercial trucks southbound. Tricks from the Forestry sector counted more than double all other commercial vehicles combined; 70 Log trucks, 54 Chip trucks, 91 Lumber trucks, for a total of 215. All other trucks accounted for only 101.
In a February 24, 2006 news release, Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon announced that the Ministry would be investing $30 million a year for the next three years for the rehabilitation of Interior roads affected by the increasing number of logging trucks carrying pine beetle kill wood. Minister Falcon said, “The increased heavy truck traffic means portions of the highway road structure will require resurfacing much sooner than originally planned”. We thank the Government for recognizing that the impact on our roads is a consequence of increasing the annual allowable cut to take in the pine beetle kill timber.
Currently these dollars are to be assigned to Provincial and Provincially managed roads. Like the Provincial highways, the increasing number of logging trucks carrying pine beetle kill wood has adversely affected the City roads that they use for transportation routes. This is especially true in community’s designated Tier 1 and Tier 2 locations.
Definition of Tier 1, 2 & 3 Communities
Tier 3 is the Greater Vancouver Regional District and its member municipalities
Tier 2 is the regional districts and municipalities of: Okanagan-Similkameen, Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Capital, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Fraser Valley, and Squamish-Lillooet.
Tier 1 is the rest of the Province.
THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS
That cities in Tier 1 and Tier 2 designations whose roads have been adversely affected by the increased number of logging truck carrying loads of pine beetle killed wood, be allocated a portion of the $30 million a year for rehabilitation of roads in their municipalities.
Copyright ©2007 BC Chamber of Commerce 