By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Trans Mountain’s use of heavy equipment has caused potholes on Loseth Road, just north of Valemount, says nearby resident Jessie McKirdy. The company is still in talks with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) to determine the extent of their responsibility, and repairs will likely take place in the latter half of 2025, a Trans Mountain spokesperson told The Goat.
McKirdy says the road had been in good condition just before the pipeline expansion project. After the completion of the project, a middle sealcoated portion of the road was replaced with gravel which became riddled with potholes, and the deteriorated sealcoating meant that dust was often kicked up, causing visibility issues.
“They had sealcoated the road years ago and it was really good,” McKirdy told The Goat. “And then they had all the extra traffic from the pipeline coming through, it tore the road up.”
The deterioration of the road concerned McKirdy, who uses it nearly every day to get home from work.
“If you weren’t paying attention, you’d hit the potholes that they left behind,” McKirdy said, adding that she contacted Grant Erickson, an operations manager at MoTI, about the condition of the road.
“My understanding was that the road would be returned to the same state it was in, or better, than when the pipeline started doing their upgrades,” McKirdy wrote to Erickson. “It has been over a year since the majority of the workers packed up and left… Will we be stuck with rutty gravel roads for another winter?”
Erickson told McKirdy via email that the Ministry had planned to repair the gravel section of the road in the summer of 2024, but issues with the sealcoat program prevented them from completing the work.
In an email statement to The Goat, MoTI confirmed that the Ministry is in touch with Trans Mountain regarding repairs to Loseth Road. The Ministry did not specify what issues the sealcoat program faced earlier this year.
“The Ministry is aware that Loseth Road has deteriorated, partly due to increased industrial traffic, including from Trans Mountain projects,” the statement reads. “Loseth Road receives regular maintenance, with grading work scheduled for this fall and more extensive sealcoat surfacing planned for 2025.”
The Ministry declined to provide details on how often the road receives maintenance work, or when the work scheduled for this fall will take place.
According to the Trans Mountain email statement, the company has not received complaints from Valemount residents regarding Loseth Road. However, the statement confirms that Loseth Road was used as an access road for construction equipment during the expansion project, and that the company has been in touch with MoTI regarding road conditions in Valemount.
“During the spring thaw, known as ‘spring break-up,’ Trans Mountain manages construction use of the road to avoid damaging soft, mudding roads,” the statement reads. “Provincial roads and restrictions limit heavy equipment movement, protecting infrastructure from potential damage caused by heavy loads during this period. Trans Mountain has an agreement in place with MoTI to repair roads during ‘spring break-up.’”
The company is working with MoTI to determine the scope of repairs it must complete on Loseth Road, according to the email. The company anticipates reaching an agreement with MoTI by mid-2025, with repairs to be completed in the second half of the year.
