Westbound traffic on Como Lake Avenue will be closed for the rest of the week due to ground settlement caused by FortisBC’s pipeline replacement project.
Initially, the company said the road would likely be open by the end of the day on Wednesday, but a spokesman revised the timeline in an email to The Tri-City News Thursday morning.
“Unfortunately, it looks like the lane won’t be open until later in the week,” said Alex Munro, the corporate communications advisor with FortisBC.
He added that the company would provide a more detailed timeline when they had more information.
On Tuesday night, FortisBC said in a statement that crews had observed ground movement at the Lilian Street intersection and were closing the road as a precaution. A detour has been setup at Schoolhouse Street, directing traffic down Foster Avenue.
“We have a rigorous safety monitoring program and operating policies in place to maintain safety for the public and our crews, which enable us to quickly respond to events such as this,” the company said. “We are currently refining our construction methods to ensure the stability of trenches in the area.”
This is not the first time FortisBC has had to shutdown Como Lake Avenue over settlement issues.
Earlier this month, westbound traffic was closed and a temporary detour was established between Robinson and Townley streets when a soil depression 5 m in diameter sunk 20 cm. FortisBC said cracking pavement at Gatensbury Street also had to be repaired.
"Although infrequent, this type of ground movement can happen with deeper excavations like this one, which is about two stories deep and has underground utilities nearby," said FortisBC spokesperson Alex Munro at the time of the incident.
