Poor road conditions on Highway 16 have an Alberta county urging residents to contact the provincial government and demand action.
Yellowhead County said it has received a number of complaints about vehicle damage resulting from poor road conditions on provincial roads.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, the county stressed: “Yellowhead County is not in charge of maintaining Highway 16; a provincial highway maintained by Alberta Transportation.”
In the post on its official Facebook page, the county shared photos of huge divots in the pavement — one so wide it nearly spanned the length of a ruler.
“Yellowhead County council has been made aware of this and will be sending a letter of concern to the Alberta Minister of Transportation,” the post continued.
It also asked people with concerns to contact the MLAs for the area, Martin Long (MLA for West Yellowhead) and Shane Getson (MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland).
Mayor Jim Eglinski said that in addition to fielding a lot of calls complaining about the holes in the highway, he experienced one personally. A couple of weeks ago, Eglinski was driving home from Evansburg when his vehicle hit a pothole. He said it caused some minor damage.
Eglinski said he wants repairs made before someone is seriously injured.
Alberta Transportation said it is aware of the condition of this part of Highway 16.
“Crews are currently out near Wildwood performing hand-patching repairs to address these issues,” spokesperson Brooklyn Elhard said in an email to Global News. “Crews will move on to address other priority areas on Highway 16 next week, pending weather.”
The county also provided a link to the damage claim procedure for anyone who has been affected by potholes on Highway 16.