Gravel roads too soft for heavy traffic

The Public Works Manager for Steinbach is well aware of the rough shape of gravel roads in the city and is asking motorists to be patient. 

Randy Reimer says it has been an exceptional year for frost, which impacts both gravel and asphalt roads. 

“Right now, our gravel roads are looking fairly rough. The frost is coming out and it's just an exceptional year with the frost on our asphalt roads as well as our gravel roads and people will just have to be a little patient.” 

Reimer says the frost is slow to come out of the ground, preventing the roads from tightening up. 

“We're trying to maintain them, but we got heavy equipment working on these roads and you know, they're sinking in as well, making it really difficult to produce a good, finished product. So, it's just going to take some time.” 

He says it would be helpful for people to avoid those roads for now, if possible, especially heavy trucks. 

Hirschfeld Road south of Loewen Boulevard is still too soft for heavy trucks, and too soft to hold graders for improving driving conditions.

“When they get really soft like this and trucks disregard the No Truck Routes, they come down there and they make it that much worse for lighter traffic that is using these roads on a regular basis. And so that's why we post the weight restrictions and no truck routes so that we can try and maintain these roads as best possible for the light traffic.” 

Reimer says the rain is helping speed up the process of getting the frost out of the ground which will help improve road conditions. 

A mainly sunny sky is expected for Sunday with cloudy, rainy weather returning for the first half of the work week. 

Steinbach's Public Works Manager, Randy Reimer, is asking motorists to avoid gravel roads for now, if possible, until the frost is out of the ground and roads are not as soft.