Crews with Emcon Services are working to repair a sinkhole on Salt Spring Island that closed a stretch of road to northbound traffic Sunday.
Around 5:30 p.m., the Salt Spring Island Fire Department said firefighters were responding to reports of a “large sinkhole” at 258 Beaver Point Rd.
At the time, the northbound lane was impassable, and commuters were asked to avoid the area as fire crews blocked off the section of road.
There were no reports of injuries.
In an update Monday, Emcon South Island operations manager Andrew Gaetz says the sinkhole, which measured about one by two cubic metres, has been covered with road plates.
“The road’s open right now. There are some road plates over it to make it’s safe and covered,” Gaetz told CHEK News in an interview.
“Sunday evening, we got a phone call about some pavement deformation, which is pretty typical. Our crew went out to patch it with a cold asphalt patch, and a sinkhole opened up. When they did their patch, it caved in.”
Gaetz says crews used a backhoe and three-inch aggregate to fill in the hole, and contractors are en route to Salt Spring today to replace a failed culvert.
“It’s a pretty substantial hole, but it’s just a culvert in the area that’s aged and failed. The void kind of opened up,” he said. “But our crew was on it though last night.”
But sinkholes do happen “from time to time,” according to Gaetz.
“Sinkholes open up under the road, and eventually, the pavement fails. We do try and do our best to keep on top of culvert inspection and replace aging infrastructure as it gets past its life.”
People in B.C. can report road hazards by calling 1-866-353-3136.
Ethan Morneau
