Highway 642 condition revisited

Jan. 25, 2019

by Colin Smith

A provincial official has been asked to appear at a Morinville Town Council meeting to explain what’s going to be done about the sorry state of Highway 642.

In a letter dated January 7, Morinville Chief Administrative Officer Stephane Labonne asked Neal Reynolds, Regional Director for Alberta Transportation, to pick a date of February 19 or March 19 to make a presentation to Council.

The letter followed the Council’s passing in November motions calling for a meeting with Alberta Transportation to “identify final resolution of the road condition of Highway 642” and to invite Alberta Transportation to present its solution to Council at a Committee of the Whole Meeting in the first quarter of 2019.

The letter was received as information by Council at its January 22 regular meeting.
At the meeting, Council also received an earlier letter from Alberta Transportation concerning the Highway 642 chip-seal project.

In the December 21, 2018 letter Reynolds acknowledges that the project did not work out as planned, and regrets any resulting inconvenience.

“Unfortunately, it is not feasible to complete repairs to the road during the months,” he writes. “Alberta Transportation will continue to work with the contractor and the Town of Morinville to implement a satisfactory solution in the spring.”

“In the meantime, the road is safe for travel, and the contractor will continue sweeping in the area to remove debris throughout the winter months.”

Reynolds states that once the project is completed department staff will schedule a final inspection with the contractor to ensure the finished project meets department standards. Once the work is accepted there will be an additional one-year warranty period, with another inspection to take place this fall.

He added that Alberta Transportation will be taking action to address concerns about “unsightly” material stockpiles and barriers related to intersection improvements at Morinville’s south entrance.

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16 Comments

  1. Happy to see something being done about this road but I hope they just re-pave it. I’ve only ever seen chip rock sealing on country roads or low traffic areas. Never through a towns main road/highway

  2. I certainly hope they aren’t going to use the same materials for the repair. This town of nearly 10,000 people deserves a paved Main Street! The entire project is a slap in the face.

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