Winbter Abrasive too big?
Flying rocks and smashed windshields have caused misery to one local realtor.
Most people have experienced those annoying windshield chips, but Royal LePage realtor Jennifer Brock, who lives between Osoyoos and Rock Creek, had to replace her Jeep's windshield twice last month, due to rocks being tossed up from oncoming traffic along Highway 3.
Brock explained that her job involves commuting daily on the highways, often with passengers. Her complaint is that the sand used to help mitigate the icy winter roads is also filled with small and large rocks. She maintains these rocks are not only causing damage to windshields, they could potentially cause serious accidents.
Argo Road Maintenance looks after the highway east of Osoyoos, a 100 km per hour highway, and the highways for the South Okanagan region. The sand they are putting on Highway 3 has rocks in it bigger than golf balls, Brock explained.
Last week, a rock hit my windshield with such impact, it shattered glass onto the passenger seat. Can you imagine if I had a passenger with me when this happened? A person could have been blinded and I would have been liable. Or what if the rock hit on my side and caused me to have an accident? Brock wondered.
She went on to say that she has noticed rocks on the roads both in rural Pentiction and Oliver, not just in the area where she was driving when she was hit. She added that the roads maintained by Emcon Services, who looks after the Kootenay Boundary district, contain no large rocks in the sand.
I can find these rocks everywhere in Argo's maintenance area. Somehow I feel something is very wrong here with Argo Road Maintenance and their version of what 'sand' is. It's not even sand – it's gravel. Is there no screening process in place so the sand that gets put on the highways is not gravel with large rocks in it?
Brock wondered how many windshield claims are processed through ICBC each year because of these rocks on the highways, and how many taxpayers in this area are paying multiple deductibles for windshield replacements.
That's a big issue for me. The waste of taxpayer money on multiple ICBC claims. How many ICBC claims are made due to rocks on the road in winter, particularly in this region?rnArgo's Operations Manager Bernie Corbach said the company in fact has two screening processes in place.
Argo Road Maintenance utilizes two processes to produce Winter Abrasive, the material we use on the roads. Argo employs a screening process and a combined crushing/screening process to produce all Winter Abrasive in the South Okanagan. Larger rocks are not in Argo's Winter Abrasive supply, Corbach said.
Gravel is not used to sand provincial highways – Winter Abrasive is used. Argo uses Winter Abrasive, which is a manufactured product tested by an independent engineering firm to ensure it meets the Ministry of Transportation Winter Abrasive Specification for Highway Classification A and B.rnBrock was pleased to have had a response from MLA Bill Barisoff's office about the incident. Her concerns were forwarded directly to the Ministry of Transportation Area manager and she was told they would be contacting her directly.
Apparently Bill Barisoff and the Ministry of Transportation staff have met recently, and the size of crushed gravel used on roadways was discussed. I understand the area manager indicated he would be working closely with Argo to monitor the size of gravel used on the highways, Brock said.
Unfortunately, Bill Barisoff himself also recently had his windshield hit by a rock in a similar incident. It's unfortunate this happens to anyone, but I'm glad to see my situation was taken seriously, and it looks like there will be some positive changes, Brock said.
When asked if the incident involving Brock, and the matter being brought to the attention of Bill Barisoff, would result in changes to the product, Corbach said simply that Argo would continue to ensure the product meets the Ministry of Transportation Winter Abrasive specifications.
