Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just two short summer months ago, Highway No. 7 was described by the media and local drivers as a bog with the consistency of clam chowder. To my dismay, this summer Highway No. 7 was described as a war zone by tourists, local drivers and the media.
I know that the engineers would offer this more technical description of Highway No. 7, the road is composed primarily of frost susceptible soils, structurally weak and most vulnerable to load-induced damage during spring thaw. The roadway becomes saturated, causing extensive pot holing, slick running surfaces and major running. This makes driving conditions unfavourable for the general public.
However, I think “war zone” is the best description.
After two years of the largest capital budget ever, I hoped that the Department of Transportation would be able to achieve great things for Highway No. 7. The only good news was that the Government of British Columbia has paved their portion of the highway from the BC/NWT border south. The tourists who actually made it to Liard could be told that the worst is over, it is only 38 more kilometres to the border.
The Legislative Assembly approved a large multi-million-dollar budget for repairs on the highway in both 2009 and 2010. I know that we had a rainy season this summer, Mr. Speaker, however, I am discouraged that the Department of Transportation could not get organized fast enough to get ahead of the weather and make the repairs.
The highway gets closed for a period throughout the summer because of its unsafe state. The word about the highway spreads to other tourists who might have travelled the Liard trail if the roads had been passable. Robinson’s Trucking has given up hauling loads to Fort Liard because of the unpredictable conditions and load restrictions on Highway No. 7.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, this now leaves Liard with one transportation company that provides service to the community. This certainly doesn’t reduce costs or improve services.
I am really interested in learning from the Minister later this afternoon about the status of this year’s work and his future plans of making sure that the highway can meet the grade needed. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
