Part of the improvements included in the Yellow Lake highway widening project will be the removal of the existing concrete barriers (CRB’s) along the shore side of the highway, to be replaced by new barriers of a more modern design, on both sides of the highway. Approximately 2,000 new pieces will be placed along the newly widened roadway.
“The roadside barrier on the Yellow Lake project is to be replaced as it no longer conforms to the current safety design standards. The new design requires a “keyed in connection” as well as the new ones have a slotted design allowing water to drain, preventing pooling. The old drainage “scuppers” allowing water to drain tended to get plugged with winter sand. The current CRB is aged and showing signs of deterioration due to weathering and exposure to winter maintenance activities. The present CRB was left in place during construction as a “backstop” to help prevent rock from entering Yellow Lake during blasting operations,” Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Project Manager Rampaul Dulay wrote in an email recently.
Contractor Wiltech Consulting will be disposing the old barrier to a contractor supplied disposal site.
With Ironman weekend rapidly approaching, it does not appear that the project will be at paving stage by the last Sunday in August. The contractor is planning to leave the existing highway intact till September 1, and the existing paved surface will be swept clean prior to the race.
Local fishing groups are still awaiting a decision from the ministry regarding the retention of vehicle pullouts at midpoints along the lake.