The roadwork currently underway on Highway 22 and Highway 3B in Trail has turned into a tire-popping extravaganza.
Nearly a dozen community members have taken to social media to complain of flat, punctured tires after driving through the construction zone.
They claim the temporary road markers, nailed to the road by contractors, have fallen loose when driven over, resulting in punctured tires.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has had paving operations underway on Highway 22 between Junction Highway 3B and Hanna Drive since mid-May.
Trail resident Richard Roussy was riding his bike through the construction zone, up the West Trail Approach towards Castlegar, on Saturday evening when he noticed a significant number of temporary road markers scattered across the road.
“I was riding on the paved shoulder, which in most places was intact and not ripped up for paving. What I could not help but notice was the volume of scattered reflective markers everywhere.”
Roussy said the temporary road markers were not a new sight to him, but that the nails used to attach them to the road were, stating he observed possibly hundreds scattered around, many with the nails still poking through them.
“What was most apparent to me was the large number of the small reflective fibreglass markers lying with the pointy end of the nails facing upwards. I had to avoid a few of these with my bicycle, but I was going slow enough that I could see them in my headlight.”
“I don’t think I’d actually be able to see any of those nails if I was travelling in a car or truck, even in daylight.”
What road users need to know
When Vista Radio reached out for a comment, the Ministry said it’s aware of the complaints.
The Ministry explained that after repairing potholes that appeared after the heavy rainfall over the Victoria Day long weekend, the construction contractor temporarily nailed reflectors to the road to mark the road lanes, as line tape marking was not properly binding to the wet road surface.
The tire punctures occurred when some of the reflectors gradually loosened as they were driven over.
Tire damage is not covered by ICBC auto insurance, but the Ministry said motorists who experienced a tire puncture through this construction zone can submit a claim to the Ministry, which will forward it to the contractor.
The contractor is returning to temporary line-tape markings now that the weather has improved, and the Ministry said there should be no further tire-popping incidents.
ICBC said if any damage to another part of their vehicle has occurred as a result of driving over the road markers, customers can report their claim by phone or online.
Information on the highway claims process for the Ministry of Transportation can be found here.
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