SUMMER 1992 Volume 1 Issue 2

Dal~ Hillman inspects asign cel brating the Alaska High ay 50th AnniversarJ 2 Road RII I/ I/er Summer 1992

Intro

Wow' We asked for submissions for the "Working With Nature" edition and A Fish Story , p 3 submissions we go t . . , lots of them , from all aro und the province. Bridging the Enviro nment p 4 Thanks to our contributors, you can meet the Uropho ra Affinis, a bio logical control From Booms to /Bugs , p 5. age nt extrao rdinare; drive a "Highway to Hollywood"; and learn abo ut a very simple, inex pe nsive way to help the environment. Esker Pit Reclamation p 6 Dead line for the Fall Road Runner is August 15, 1992, Stories shou ld be no more than Plan t Tree 7 a 650 words in length and please, send in a couple of pictu res (no sma ller than 4"x6") per story so we have a cho ice, Pictures with peopl e are the best. This is the second edition of the new Road Runner, your comments as to wh at works and what doesn't, as well as sug­ ges tions on how to improve the publication are appreciated . It is, aftera ll, your magazine, For this issue, our thank s to staff contributors : Tom Parkin , Brian Stone. Cathy Whitmore, Gerry LeBlanc, Lisa Hohban, Lisa Day in the Work Life .. Capitanio, Wally Smith, Chris Thornhill, Ron Wicb e, Al Planid en , John Clark and Fred Hughes, Personnel.Connection , . Editor: Marilyn Wa .~() Than ks also to the staff at South Peace and North Peace Districts for lettin g us put them in the Spo tlight. Spptlight,O n . Kris Aitken, Editor On the Road · tO' H611 y~'(6c) d Yout' Fan Mail Remem ber last issue, the story "On the Road, , . To Laughter" abo ut Phyllis Diller In Search of Native Plants and j ackie Baird , Manager, Payroll Opera tions, hea dquarters? Well there 's a seq uel. Jackie was invited to attend Phyllis's annual Celebrity Memorabilia Auction for the National Parkinson Found ation at her Brentwood California Estate. June 7th. And her-re-re-re's Jackie ... at the auction standing nex t to the Entertainment Tonight cameras. Jackie says they raised 5155,000. ROAD RUNNER

Road Runner is the employee maga zine for the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways, It is produced quarterly by the Public Affairs Branch. Published articles appearing in Road Runner may be reprinted only with the permission of the Editor. Kris Aitken has been appo inted Road Runner Editor. Kris has worked with the Ministry for two years and has had several years experience in newsletter produc­ tion and edit ing, Direct enqiries to: Road Runner Editor Public Affairs 5B-940 Blanshard Street Victoria, BC, V8W 3E6

Cover photo By Bob Matula Road Run ner Summer 1992 3 A FISH STORY Annacis Highvvay Environmental Mitigation

By Brian Stone, Project Director , Fraser River Crossing and Connectors

ike Kent, our new Director of One site, Patrick Island in th e Annacis On co mp le tio n of th e bridge , th e site Highway Environment, is tena­ Channel, was developed in the ea rly 1980s was abandoned and, while fen ced , became cious - he doesn 't giv e up during the project design phase . Property overgrown and used as a local dump. M(which is lucky for us because if was purchased to develop a fish habitat To tran sform thi s sit e int o fish habitat , he did we 'd find ourselves working under backwater and construction was completed sand behind the prot ecting dyke was exca­ enviro nmenta l regulatory age nc ies that along with the road and bridge works. vated providing approximately 9000 square wouldn't allow us the independence we As this didn't provide all the repla cement metres of pending area. currently enjo y). habitat required by FREMP, a second site Pri or to excava tio n, th e underground Tak e a look at the time and effor t it has was located. e lec tr ic power lin e to th e bridge was taken to less en the impact of co nstruction Th e south pier of the main spa n of the brought above ground to cross the pond, a of the Alex Fraser Bridge in th e Lower Alex Fraser Bridg e is located on the South municipal sto rm sewer was div ert ed to a Mainland . Sand Island. Thi s is a bit of land built out new outfall in the river and the new slopes The Alex Fraser Bridge crosses the South into the river to provide ship collision pro­ were covered with a filter fabric and rip-rap Arm of the Fraser River and, with a system tection for the pier and a staging area for (a layer of soccer-ball-size sto nes) to pro­ of feed er roads and bridges , also provides bridge construction. vide bank protection . connec tions over the Annacis Channel. Th e environme nt to suppo rt the The bridges and highway system fish is p ro vid ed by Carex marsh were constructed in 1984/86 and only grass tran spl ant ed from a donor site now, seven years after opening, is the on the Annacis Channel. A breach in final mitigation taking pla ce. And the dyke downstream from the pier that' s not the end of it. The mitigation provides fish access. work will be monitored for a further Thanks to th e tenacit y o f Mike three years to eva luate its effec tive­ Kent, and th rou gh negoti ation with ness. the Federal Department of Fisheries Let 's start from the beginning. The and FREMP, the successful co ncept environmental aspects of the river are was devel oped by tw o co nsulting managed by the Fraser River Estu ary firm s: P.A. Harder and Kell er halls Management Program (FREMP). Engin eering Serv ices. The det ailed Annacis Highway and Alex Fraser design wa s pr epar ed by CBA Bridge co nstruc tio n disturbed and, Engin eering with environmental co­ in som e cases, eliminated fish habitat ordination handled by Barbar a areas along the river banks. To lessen Archer. these impa cts meant that replacement Cons truc tion, by day labo ur, has sites had to be negotiated with FREMP been supervised by Dan Templeton and constructed by this ministry. from the South Coast Region and the Project Mana gement and Administra­ tion undertak en by Paul Baal of Major Projects Branch. It's a good team, working on a Just one a/the things that needed to be great project - o ne th at sh ould done before excavation. make us all proud to work fo r MoTH. Visit th e site next time yo u're in the Low er Mainland. 4 Road Runner Summer 1992

Bridging the Environment

hen the spawning seaso n is Angela Buckingham, Senior Environmen ­ Through Region 2, En vi ronmental .. Wover, we 'll start the bridge. " tal Co-ordi nator at headquarters says,"We Ser vices hired a privat e fish er y consulta nt That sta te me nt is not co m­ knew th e Thompson River was a major who co nd uc ted extensive underwater and ing fro m a meeting of envi- spawning area for pink salmo n, but we did ae rial surveys, obse rved the spa w ning dis­ ro n me ntalis ts but from a group o f bridge not kn ow where it took place rel ative to tribution and mapped the critical spa wning bu ilders planning co ns truc tio n o f the new the new brid ge site . areas. Savona Bridge across the Thompson River "It wa s vital that the new bridge does not Armed with this information project engi­ west of Kamloops. affect spaw ning because th e ministry can­ neers were able to locate bridge piers that Co ns truc tio n o f th e $8- million structure not co mpe nsa te . We've had success with avoid ed critical spa wning habitat. to replace th e existing bridge (b uilt in rearing habitat co mpensa tio n proj ects , but "As a result, we re ceived approval to 1928) will sta rt in lat e fall. Th e 1992 co n­ undertaking spawning habitat replacement proceed with bridge building from the fed ­ struc tio n sta rt up coinc ides with an "o ff in the Th ompson River is very risky busi­ eral and provin cial fish ery agenc ies, " says ye ar" for pink sa lmon spa w n ing. (Large ness." Angela. runs of "Pinks" spa wn every odd year.) Th e fish ery co ns ulta n t will contin ue to It's this kind of se ns itivity that is starting Thompson Okanagan Regional Bridge work with the project engine ers, to ensure to give MoTH a reputation -r-r- as a govern­ Engineer,John Coy ne, su rveys the critical spawning ar ea s ar e not di sturbed ment agency that cares to le ad th e w ay Savona Bridge to be replaced when during co nstruction. when it co mes to working with the e nvi­ spatuning season is over. ronme nt.

On Cable, On-Line

Road Report is now on Rogers Cable, pro viding up-t o-the-minute travel conditions to the Lower Mainland and Southern Vanco uver Island, 24 hours a da y. There are negotiation s now underway for Delta Cable, Whistler Cable and Shaw Cable to come on-line . With the addition of Inet 2000 Data Base and Microlog, road report is also ava ilable on-line. Access is a ph on e call or a FAX away , as long as a bus i­ ness or an individual has a personal computer, the software and a modem. Congratulations to Rob McLean and Mike Williams. The Road Rep ort is becoming an electronic ambassador for the ministry and an important public-safety initiative. Road Runner Summer 1992 5

The majority of noxious weed infestations From (a noxiou s weed is a pesk y, non-native plant which harms or redu ces crops or use­ JUMPING able rangeland ) on highway right s-of-wa y Booms were still controlled chemically with the use of herbicid es but as the ministry becam e HOOPS more "environmentally awa re ," broadcast to Bugs!? spraying of noxiou s weeds from boom s By Lisa Hobbau, Herbicide Program (see photo) was ab andoned in favour of Co-ordinator, Region 4 13..1' Cathy Whitmore and Gerry Lettlanc, spo t spra ying of individual plants or weed This year, as a result of public Kootenays Region patches from hand-held equipment. concern over herbicide use, our A "team" approach was developed with permit" contain a host of new and Biol ogi cal co ntro l agents, suc h as the other ministries and livestock assoc iations, more rigid herbicide use restrictions. Uro pho ra Affini s (tha t's a seed- head ga ll to ens ure co-ordina tion of all avai lable The most challenging is a fly), are being introdu ced to challenge the resources for the control of noxious weeds, requirement to locate and map all traditional che mica l weed co ntrol and to avoid overlapping programs. domestic water sources within 30 metres of the right-of-way prior to methods ... and they're In recent yea rs, greate r herbicide application. winning some gains. e mphas is has been pla ced In the late 1950s, the o n an integrated approach, Our first stop was the Water ministry began using herbi- co mbining biological co n- 0~n ~ ~eme~t Branch of the Ministry cides for che mica l weed trol age nts and manual ofEnvironment, Lands and Parks. and bru sh co ntrol on high- co ntro l methods (s uc h Surely the agency that imposed the way rights-of- way. By the as han d weeding or restriction would also have the ea rly 1960s, another her bi- mowing) w ith judicious information necessary to fulfill its cide pr ogr am was initiated herbicide applications. requirements. - co mmo nly kn own as The intro d uctio n of bio- Unfortunately, this was not the "shoulder sterilization." Uropbo ra Affin is, a seed-head logica l contro l agents o n case.Wells, dugouts and other water Then, in 1973, the govern- gal/pI' I~al ~ l lIacl~s lsnap u.eed, highway rights-of-w ay is sources are not required to be ment declared a moratorium one o] BC s I IOXIOUS weeds . viewed as a long-term solu- registered . on the use of chemical vege tation co ntrol. tion to the pr oblem of noxiou s weed s, We then proceeded to the field. A When the program started back up in 1974, designed to reduce the use of che mica l d9pr...t8-door survey along roads new licen sin g and applicat or ce rtificatio n herbicid es as th e agents becom e mo re scheduled for treatment was initiated requ irem ents from the Ministr y of effec tive. Good news for us and our envi- on atrial basis. Empty houses, Environm ent meant the end of widesp read ronment. ferocious guard dogs, and .more than chemical brush co ntro l. Sho ulde r ste riliza- 1000 kilometres of road to be covered tion continued only to maintain drainage of Herbicide applicatio n using a 24:/c)()1 ended our field survey in a hurry , gravel shoulders. contour- matte boom , last used in 79 79 . A}l1ail survey was the final solution ~ although it couldn't possibly identify all water sources and was dependent on the co-operation of re~i~.~ ~ts. The response to date has ~~~.~ 2co LJ ragi ng ~ t. a little over 10 percent, (A minor set back occurred in the North and South Peace Highway Districts when ou r survey questionnaire was misinterpreted as a plot by the government to obtain the information necessarv to tax residents forwater use. But that's another stoty) theh()ops have been jumped .,. ' re fi na ll y gefl ~i ng up for another successful,season of noxious \veed control in Region 4, with a minimum of risk to both the environment and the public. 6 Road Runner Summer 1992

Esker Pit Reclamation

By Lisa Capitanio, a co-op stude nt ill Region 5

n the North West reg ion, we 're becom­ Department of Fish eries ing more aware of the need to incorpo­ a nd th e assista nce of rate environme nta l plan s in the design Environment Services. Iof projects. Increasingly, o ur pr ojects Th e slo pes of th e pit cross with environme ntal issues. The Esker we re co ntoured and Creek Project is one exa mple. cha nnels of varying The minist ry needed a rea dy so urce of depths we re du g to pro­ gravel for the Esker Creek Overpass Project vide access to the across the CNR tracks , 30 kilometres west of Skeena Rive r. Special Terrace on High way 16. A natural source of w ildseed mixtures we re gravel was fo und on a near by bar in th e pla nted to create foo d, Skeena River. The ministry logged along the and cotto nwood trees to edge of the site to gai n access and th en create cover - shade began excava ting grave l. and shelter. Whe n gravel p its are no longe r needed, Fish sa mpling d uring A b io logist's report sta te d, "This site the ministry is simp ly required to fill the site the fall of 1991 and throu gh the winter incli­ sho uld have the potential to provide rearing and rep lant the logged vege tation. cate that at least 5,000 fish, mainly juven ile ha bitat for substantially higher fish numbe rs co ho , ente re d the recl aimed Esker Gravel But, on th is project, we saw an opportu­ as cover and vegetation establish." nity to learn mor e about ways to minimize Pit during the summer of 1990 to overwin­ Armed w ith th is kn owl edge , the next the impac t of the gravel pit on the environ­ ter. Groundwater inflows into the pit appar­ phase is to inc rease productivity. We plan ment and even , if we co uld , improve o n ently provid ed the perfect water temp era­ to pl ant mor e co ttonwood and put tr ees nature. We decide d to crea te co ho rearin g tures for fish throughout the winter. int o th e pond wh ich we refer to as large habitat to help increase fish productivity in A recent study, between December 1991 organic debri s (LOD) . We're hoping tha t, the area. and March 1992, sho we d fish populati ons over time, leaf litter an d insects fro m adja­ increased significantly du e to dissolved oxy­ Wh e n the pro ject was co mp le te d, th e ce nt vegetation will provide the main food gen levels, provi ding conditions even more mitigation work began in co nsultation with source for fish as it re-es tablishes. the Min ist ry o f Envi ro nme nt and th e suitable for overwinter survival.

Watch out... Please

The ce ntreline sec tion was co nce rne d abo ut their crew's safe ty on the road with drivers rush ing past without care, ang ry at any de lay. Educa tion, they suggested, was the answe r. Let everyone know what they're doi ng to keep the public safe and maybe the public would then try a little harder to keep o ur ce nt re line an d ot he r road crews safe. The resu lt: a print, radio and television campaig n. The theme is "Watch for our crews, as you cru ise." Watch out for it. And wa tch out for o ur ce ntre line , br idge resurfacing and sea l­ coati ng crews, as you cruise too. Give the m a friendly hon k and a wave (they're so used to angry ho nks) and le t them know we appreciate what they do for us. Road Runner Summer 1992 7

Plant aTree 20 Years For the Environment By WalZY Sm ith, Roadside Developmen t Superuisor, of Jetsam South Coast Region By Chris Thornhill, Fort George District The earth is warming. Carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere is trapping the sun 's energy, turning the earth into a "greenhouse. " How do yo u unload th e jet sam of twent y yea rs of Average global temperatures are the highest on record . ministry ope rations? That was the dilemma I recently faced I'd like to tell yo u about so me thing very easy and inexp en sive when I was give n the mandate to clean up a gravel pit in that you can do to make a difference: plant a tree. Prince George. Not only do trees cool the earth; the y purify air and water, pro­ The "jetsa m" co ns iste d of bent lam p standards, damaged tect watershed areas, enhance wildlife habitats and prevent so il ero­ and rusting culverts, spe nt grade r blades, about a zillion used sion. That's why maintaining healthy forests is so important. tires and tonnes of other discarded materials. Here's the facts about trees: Ob viou sly, this was going to entail more tha n a Satu rday afte rnoon in th e • Trees absorb carbo n dioxide from the atmos phe re and turn it Iamily garage! into life-giving oxyge n. On e square metre of leaf surface emits 1.07 grams of oxyge n. With a growing emp has is on the • Trees shade pavement keeping temperatures lower. thr ee R's (reduce , •Trees ca n reduce th e vis ua l glare from paved sur faces and reuse , recycle), adjacent buildings by as much as 60 per cent. it's importa nt for • Trees ca n reduce your energy bills by shading your hou se in us to be able to the summer and protecting it in the winter. loo k at ways of disposing of these • A tree, if supplied with ade quate water will produce the same mat erials in a effect as five air conditioners running 20 hours per day. A large positive and co n­ tree can transpire up to 360 litres of water a day. structive way. • A 12-metre tree ca n p roduce 4.5 kilogram s o f carbo hydra tes I co ntrac te d from 190 litres of dissolved minerals via ph otosynthesis. These F&K Salvage to car bo hydrates form the new gro wth on the plant and becom e re mo ve ma te rial a so urce of food for wildlife. to appro priate re­ The re are many oppo rtunities within the ministry and in our ow n cyclers. backyards to help the environment and, possibly, avo id an environ­ ment al crisis. Do something abo ut it. Plant a tree. The steel was se nt to Allan 's Scrap and Salvage A row of "Crimson King " maple trees recently pla nted on High way where it was bulk loaded and sent to Vanco uver. « I in Hope by the South Coast Roadside Development Crew . One -tho usa nd -six-hundred-and-fifty light tru ck tires and 160 lar ge tru ck/ gr ad er tires were p icked up by Trac Tire Recov er y, w hic h shi p pe d th e m off to Western Rubber Pro du cts in New Westminster. Th ey grind spent tires into rubber crumble (raw rubber) and se ll this resource to a vari­ ety of re-m anufacturing companies throughout Wes tern Canada. (Some of the products that originate from rubber crumble include : rubber matting for rail crossi ngs , rubber for sporting eve nts, interlocking bricks, embedded track flange filler for LRT such as SkyTrain, side walk panels, etc.) Whil e thi s isn 't th e ans wer to all o f our waste disposal p robl em s, it's co mfo rting to know ou r ministry has join ed a growing network of supp liers , producers and distributors intent on becoming part of the solution. 8 Road Ru n ner Summer 1992

Rest Areas Upgraded 1~ ) ' \Val~y Smith, Roadside Deuelopment Supervisor. South Coast Regton

Safety rest areas along highways allo w motorists to safely exit the travell ed way and give them a break from the mon oton y and fat igue of driving . Th e min istry is responsible for about 170 rest areas along provincia l highw ays ran ging from sma ll sites w ith pit to ile ts to lar ge areas with modern facilities. In May of 1991 , th e min istry emba rked on a program to up grad e provincial sa fety rest area sites. The program included upgrad ing high-u se re st a rea sites alo ng B.C. h ighways from pit toil et facilities to Rest areas give travellers a breate f rom the m on otony ofdri uing . full-service facilities. The initial priority involved approximate­ ly 10 locations around the province, whi ch wo uld boost the total number of sites hav­ ing full-service facilities to 26. National Transportation Week The rehabilitation included provisions for wa te r, elec tricity, telephone , se wa ge di s­ All around the province , ministry staff REGION 4 posal and th e co ns truc tio n o f heat ed were bu sy organizing and parti cipating Set-up a display at Dawson Cree k Mall restroom buildings. in activitie s to ce le brate Nationa l Tran­ on theme of "Maintain ing Safe Passage Johnson Slough Rest Area, 17 km west of sporta tion We ek , June 7-13. Th e th eme through the Years." of this yea r's event wa s "Transportation Hope on Highway #7, in Fraser Vall e y REGION 5 Distr ict wa s chosen as th e first up grading and Technology." Set-up a di splay at Skeena Mall in project in South Coast Region . Here 's a list of some of the activities. Terrace and the Smithers Centre , spon­ Rehabilitati on included drilling a well , REGION 1 sored a poster co ntest, challenged each installing a sewage system, side wa lks, fen c­ Set-up mall Displ ays at Robson Square branch as well as other ministries and ing , pi cnic tables (includ ing a speciall y and Royal Ce ntre in Van couver and in othe r local transportation companies to a designed, wheelchair accessible table) and se ve ra l public librari es throughout th e tricycl e ra ce , and participated in th e a heated was hroom building. Lower Mainland, and sponso red an NTW Seafest Parade. The building is unique, as it has a se pa ­ Colouring Contest. REGION 6 rate room which is wheelch air accessible . Held an o pe n house at region offi ce , Th is room, as well as th e "Me ns" and REGION 2 co-spo nso re d service ads with Island "Wome ns" rooms , is eq uipped with bab y Set-up an o utdoor display at Village Highway Services Ltd. (maintenance co n­ change faciliti es. Interi or lighting, ventila­ Green Mall in Vernon in conjunc tio n tractor), as well as produced a half-hour tion and hand dryers are controlled by sen­ with the Ok anagan Tran sportation Club sho w on Shaw Cable in Nanaimo area so rs to co nse rve e ne rgy and a public tele­ and an indoor /outdoor display at hosted by Don Smith the Regional ph on e is attached to the building as well as Aberd een Mall in Kamloops, parti cipated Highway Planner and a feature story in a drinking fountain . in a car rally at 100 Mile House , held an o pen house at South Cariboo District , the Times-Colonist on Island road histo­ Since co mple tio n of construction early South Cariboo District sub-office , Nicola ry, specifically, bridges. this spring, man y motorists have ex presse d District and Okanagan District sub-office. th ei r approval of th e improvements at We'll have pictures in the next Johnson Slough Rest Area . REGION 3 Road Runner. The continuing safety rest area upgrading Set-up a mall displa y (Histo ry o f program will further enhance the ministry's Highways in the Kootenays) at Cha hko ­ favourable image to the publi c. Mika in Nelson and held an ope n hou se at Selkirk District office. Road Runner Summer 1992 9 Enabling the Disabled

The ministry was highlighted, along with other ministries, in a B.C. Government display at Independence '92 - a three-da y trade show April 22-25 at B.C. Place in Vancouver that promoted prod­ ucts and services for the disab led. We thought you'd like to know what we do to able the disabl ed in servicing the public 's need. • Drop curbs on sidewa lks/traffic islands at ped estrian crossings. • Reduced grades with flat landings at intervals on pedestrian overpasses. •Studies to intensify traffic signal lamps for the colour blind and seeing impaired. • Improved rest area sites and buildings (when upgraded or new ly des igned) including washrooms and picnic tables designed to bette r accommodate the disabled. • Audible signals for pedestrian crossings where need is identified. • Increased walk signal times where need is identified . • Evaluation of ferry termina ls/structures to identify mean s to The Marin e Sect ion hired Peter R. Ash (demonstrati ng a drop enhance accessibility to the disabled. curb above), a member of the B.C. Paraplegic Association Advisory • Modifications to vessel passenger lou nges, doorways and ramp Committee, whose du ties include assessing access for the disa bled entranceways as well as washrooms. o n ferries and terminals. Pet e r also wo rks with personnel on Employment Equity issues spec ific to the disabled. • Larger and brighter ferry signage for the see ing impaired.

"We provide a sinking fund for school Contract Administration) in guiding the ABetter Way and hosp ital constructio n which is paid ministry's work session. ou t over a period of 20 or 25 yea rs ­ why can we not do that with major high­ Minis ter Art Charbonneau (left) on tour "There's got to be a better way ." way constructio n whic h would have a ofheadquarters, stops in at Financial Th at 's the message o ur minister, Art life span of some 50 to 70 years?" Systems and talks to Ruth Wittenbllrg. Charbo nnea u gave roadb uilders and con­ O ur minister's speech co ncl uded a Senior Manager and Michael Losier, sulting engineers of B.C. whe n he talked day-long se mina r tha t en compassed an Co-ordinator, Application and abo ut funding capital highway projects. ad ministrative session ded icated to our Technical SIIPPO/1 . He was addressing more than 250 del­ ministry's proposed cha nges to egates at the wrap-up dinner, sponsored the ma jor work agreement, fol­ by the B.C. Ro adbuilders, fo r th e th ird lowed by co nsulting engineers' annual join t se minar sponsored by the presenta tion on workers' safety ministry, B.C. Roadbuilders and the Con­ and roadbuilder 's presenta tion sulting Engineers of B.C. at the Richmond on bo nding. Inn, April 28. A job well done by Pat Cha rbo nnea u talked of sinking fund s, Bon ser (Construction Contracts tolls and co mbina tio ns of fundi ng alter­ and Services Engineering, head­ nat ives to "avo id the ro lle r coaster o f quarters) in organizing the con­ capital funding that takes place, based on ference an d by Rod ney available funds." Cha pman (Director, Co nst ruc­ tion Engineering , head quarters) and Russ Fuller (Manager, 10 Road Runner Summer 1992

IN THE FIELD REGION 2

REGION 1 Signs Warn Thanks Mother Nature The new electronic cha ngeable message Completion of lO-kiiom etres of four-lan ­ Darrell Bay Upgrade signs on the Sumas Prairie section of Trans­ ing from Barnhart vale to Campbe ll Creek Cana da High way are a real plu s for traffic near Kamloops, finishes ano the r sec tion in To compliment the Porteau Cove pro ject, control. Durin g a sodium hydroxide chemi­ th e o ngo ing effo rt to upgr ad e th e Tran s­ Regio nal Dire ctor Jo e Jensen approved cal spill wh ich closed Highway 15 from the Cana da Highway. Constructio n sta rte d in S100,000 to upgrade ferry facilities at Darrell Trans-Canada to Highway 10 on May 1st, the May o f 1990 and was co mp le te d six Bay , south of Squamish. This upgrade sig n at Lickman Road wa rne d westbou nd months ahead of schedule, thanks to moth­ enables the ministry to operate emergency motorists abo ut the closure. er nature. ferry service be tween Porteau Cove and Darrell Bay if the Sea-to-Sky Highway is Cong ratulations Pet er Boudreau , HQ , closed by a slide north of Porteau . Elec trical and Mark Pratt , Area Man ager , Beat the Clock Fraser Valley for delivering a quality produ ct. Region 2 will beat the clock once again Kudos for Cassiar! with ano the r major proj ect - four-laning Ralph Retires on Highway 97 from Kel owna Airp ort to Dale Crip ps , Pro ject Superviso r fo r th e Winfi eld - despite a major co ntroversy Ralph Polnau retired from So uth Coast project, rece ived the Natio nal Tran spor­ that threatened to slow things do wn. tation Week "Award of Achievement " at the Region afte r enjoy ing 35 yea rs with th e NT\XT Awards dinner in Vanco uver, June 11. ministry . Ralph's MoTH ca reer includes Th e people o f Winfield petitioned The Cass ia r project also won th e 1992 operating a grade r out of Cloverdale, wor k­ agains t th e co ntracto r. Th ey wer en't "Award of Excellence " from the Consulting ing on dr ill rigs with Geotec h, hauling for imp ressed with othe r work Pet e rs Bro s . Engine ers of B.C. South Coast salutes Dale the Centreline Mark ing crews and , finally, had done in the area. and the en tire Cassiar project team! with the Hydroseeder cre w. The Road side Th e ministry and co ntrac to r worked Development crew presented him a plaque together and , thanks to a lot of pro-active attached to a piece of minist ry cedar picnic Fo r the Kids media/public relations, thi s difficult situa ­ table seat, fitt ed with an o ld br ass tion was turn ed around. The public is now Bravo Region 1. Hal f th e sta ff donned hyd ro seeder no zzle . Ralph and his wife pleased with the project man agem ent and "Wear Jean s for Kids" butt ons o n Mar ch Joan plan to spo il their gra ndc hildren and will be doubly pleased wh en the project is 30th in su pport of th e B.C. Chi ld re n 's enjoy th eir new re tireme nt home in co mpleted Oc tober 31, 1992, nine months Hosp ital - raisi ng a lot of awa reness and Penticton. ahe ad of schedule. over S200.Now that's comm unity spirit! Porteau Cove Wins Wildlife Viewing Ministry at the PNE Geo ff Vickery of Reid , Crowther acce pted In resp onse to a growing int erest in The ministry will aga in have a display at the "Award of Merit" from the Cons ulting wildlife viewing, the provincial governme nt th e Sho wcase British Columb ia Pavilion Engineers of B.C. for th e Porteau Cove ha s es tablishe d a Wildlife Watch program d urin g th e PNE, Aug us t 21-Se p te mbe r 7, emergency moori ng facility. Hats off to inv olving th e ministri es of Tourism and 1992. Come and visit us. Geoff and his colleag ues at Reid, Crowthe r Environment , Lands and Parks. MoTH's role and to the Project Managers: Ellis Meads of is to install the program signs. B.C. Ferrie s and Phil Munn, March 5, Bill Coates, Area Man ager from fo r thi s award and th e Osoyoos, atte nde d the first meeting of the "Featur e Project of the Year" O ka nagan Regional Wildlife Viewing awa rd from th e Pro ject Steering Committee, wh ich was se t up to Management Institute. identify view ing sites in our region. Fifteen sites we re located in the Thompson-Oka­ nagan . Sixty sites were ide ntified province­ wide.

Portea u Cove, award win ning NewDHM "Fea ture Project ofthe Yea r." May 25th, Steve Husb and, Acting DHM turn ed over the Vern on fort to a new lead­ er, Dan Will iam s - an import from the Kooten ays. For the pas t five months, Steve has ke pt the dis trict running smoothly. A job we ll done Steve and a welcome Dan from the staff in Region 2. Road Ru n ner Summer 1992 11

I IN THE FIELD REGION 3 King of the Road The Columbia Connection Frank Sawatzky, Project Manager, Paving retired afte r working with the ministr y for Regio n 3 he ld a "Name the News letter 36 years. A part y was held in Frank's hon­ Contest" for their staff publi cation. The win­ our in Nelson and 300 peopl e attended. ner was the Regional Director himself ­ Gordon Sutherland - for his The Columbia Frank received a number of gifts includ­ Connection. A good choice sin ce the Co­ ing a se ven-foot-long BBQ apron with all lumbi a River runs through all four districts. of his fav ourite sayin gs on it and a cha ir The region is now ho lding a contest for the from the Savoy Hotel Pub , where he's been design of a region logo for its publication . Frank receiving a Meritorious Service a regular patron for 20 years. Award. presented hy Cordo n Sutherland. A special so ng was written in his ho no ur Regional Director of the Kootenays Regi on . (to the tune of "King of the Road") and was performed by "Leslie and the Potl ickers," also known as Susan Lakeman and the men on the Regional Paving Crews. "Leslie and the Potlicleers "performing King Frank has the distin ction of having every ofthe Road at Frank's retirement party , cop y of the Road Runn er ever publish ed . iVlay 2, 1992 . We hop e this one 's a keep er too.

Sue Laleem en (left) a nd Pam Olson were p resented a wards, when Exec utiue Com m ittee met in Nelson, for their work on the Occupatio nal Health (Sue) and \'(7elln e,\:\'Com mittees (Pa m).

REGION 4 April Fools Training for Tomorrow New Digs Som e of the staff in South Pea ce dis­ The Central! North East is und ergoin g tri ct co mposed a letter to all Area a compre he nsive review of its Region al Staff in Nor th Peace District are again Managers that hav e private vehicles on Training Plan to identify how to increase ha ppy as cla ms. Th ey were to be th e mil eage that stated: "Due to th e high frequen cy and effectiveness of training. first occupants of th e new provincial cost to the ministry, no mileage will be Staff is ask ed to help out by co mpleting government building in Fort SI. John, paid as of fiscal year end." training profiles along with Performance but they ended up being last. No matter! There were a lot of pa le, sick looking Planning Appraisal s. Th es e "pro files" After almost two months of living out Are a Managers wa lking around the will give personnel a cle arer picture of of boxes, they're putting down root s office. what is needed to better "target" training and staff is looking forwa rd to greeting courses. visitors as they gear up for Rendezvou s The staff responsible are now all book­ An enhanced Regional Training Pro ­ '92. The y invite you to drop by if you 're ing holidays for next April 1st, because gram is expec ted this Fall. in their neck of the woods. they know revenge will be served. 12 Road Ru n ner Summer 1992

IN THE FIELD Parade Season May 15th ma rked th e beginning o f REGION 6 Parade Season in the North West. This year the region developed a "Highways" mural REGION 5 Writer Inspires Kids mounted on the maintenan ce co ntracto r's flatbed and added lots of balloons, banners A well-known Toronto book publish er In the Community and flow ers. Carey Derkson (Engineering has just released Green Giants: Rainforest of At the Fair Aide from Lakes District) brou ght o ut his the Pacific Northwest - a children's book boys Riley and Clayton, and rea lly got into written by our very ow n Tom Parkin , Public In April, the North West Region took part th e sp irit of things. Riley dr essed as a Information Office r for Van couver Island in two trad e fairs. Th e firs t was in Burns clo wn and Clayto n a mini-highways work­ Region . Lak e, April 10-11. Lak es District staff put e r, while Carey ca me o ut as "O range "It discusses forests and their management together an exce llent display and worked in Man "!?! Thanks to Lak es Distri ct the booth answering questions. in a way which allows kids to better under­ Maintenance for all their help ! stand co nfro ntatio nal news events," says The second fair was in Terrace, April 24­ We plan to participate in several parades Tom. "I'm hopeful it will inspire and warn 25. Skeena District and region al staff repre­ this yea r. The next on e is in Prin ce Rupert kids of the threats to our last big trees." se nted the ministry with an interestin g dis­ on June 13th. Join us if you're up this way. play that includ ed a 1951 transit system and The book is part of Douglas & McIntyre's two colour mon itors: one showing the high­ "Earth Care Series" featuring 48-pages, 64 ways road inventor y. We felt our involve­ full-colour photographs and three maps. ment was worthwhile based on the enthusi­ Greening the Gulf asm and num ber of people we spoke to. An isl and off th e Suns hine Coast, with Career Day help from MoTH , did its bit toward "gree n­ May 7th, we particip ated in Caree rs Day ing th e gulf" last fall w he n th ey aide d in '92 at the North West Community College , the rem oval of local relics. Lasqu eti Island spo nsored by th e Kermode Friendship lies in the Strait of Georgia off Parksvill e Soc iety to introdu ce high sc hool and co l­ and is rea ch ed by priv ate co mmute r ferry lege stude nts to vario us ca reers. Than ks to from Vancouver Island. Vehicl es arrive and region al office staff Gail McFadden , Shawn leave only by barge, cha rte red at owne r's McKinl ey, Bob Penner , Lisa Cap ita nio (a expe nse . co -o p student) and Jan e Spa rkes; and Over th e ye ars , abando ne d ve hicles Skeena District and Geo technical staff Todd accumulated on the island , including so me Broughton and Dave Carson. left at a MoTH gravel pit and mainten an ce Wilf Taekema, o ur Se nior Design yard. Technicia n, gave an excellent presentation Whe n MoTH agreed to se ll th e pit to a describing the ministry and various careers new owner, the island's community assoc ia­ within the orga nization. tion aske d if we would work with them in cleaning up that, and other "unsightly sites." Central Islan d District co mmitte d $4,100 tow ard the effort. Employees from the local mainten ance co ntractor - Island Highway Services Ltd. - don ated machine time and lab o ur to hau l and stack 154 wrecked or abandoned veh icles, four fridges , dozens of aci d ba tteries, and assorted junk o nto a ba rge fo r dispos al through a metal recy­ cling com pany. Volu nteers hand-pi ck ed the co llectio n areas clean . Congratulations to CID for their environme nt and community-minded­ support. We were proud to lend a hand.

AII/o Bodies and batteries p rior to tru cki ng to ba rge. Photo by Craig Peterson Road Ru n ner Summer 1992 13

IN THE FIELD

HEADQUARTERS "E" Day Monday, April 13th New Environment Branch was "E"arthquake Day. The Highwa y Environment Branch brings Eve rybody in head ­ together two former Highway Engin eering quarters had to du ck Bran ch departments - Environmental and co ve r under their Services and Roadside Development. desk s - eve n execu­ The servi ces of these departments hav e tive . It wa s all part of long been integral with the design and con­ an earthquak e drill to struction of highways. But, it's probably a prepare us for the real safe bet that peopl e don 't reali ze the effort thing. Th an ks to th e that went into protectin g fish habitat at a o rga nizers ,S teve bridge crossing or ensuring migration pat­ Nethe rto n and ga ng, terns of de er were not adversely affected by we knew what to do. construction of a wide divided highway. And Tim Steuen s, Director, High way Cong ratulations Rodney. the grasses and lupine flow ers on those Planning p racticing / or "E" Day. steep embankments were always there, right? With the formation of th is br an ch , th e Snow Flakes Win New Construction Branch ministry has recognized the increa sin g Cong ratulatio ns to Snow Avalanch e May 12th, th e new headquart ers High ­ importance of environmental responsibility, Programs employees Mike Boissonneault, way Construction Branch ope ned for busi­ and emphasized its commitment to providing Gordon Bonwi ck, and Mark Gale as well as ness. The branc h's directo r, Rodney service excellence with respect to sensitive Chris Garre tt-Petts fro m Highway Engine ­ Chapman and his staff will provide ministry environmental, social and aesthetic issues. e ring and Karen Boi ssonneault. Th ey employees, co ntrac tors and co ns ultants The Director, Mike Kent, is looking for­ entered as the "Snow Flakes" in the Garden guidance in the areas of co ns truction sys­ ward to building a branch that is second to City, 10-kil ometre ro ad race and pl aced tems en gine ering, highway co ns truc tio n non e in Nor th Ameri ca wh en it comes to second in the Corpo rate Team category . engineering , co ntract se rvices , claims, the deliv ering program s and se rvices that are cost estimating system, insurance and bonds innovative and technically sound. and standard spec ifications. A strong netw ork of liaison with the best Budgets vs. Major Projects consultants in th e field has already been A few months ba ck , the "budget" group "Car" Free established , and it is a priority for the Branch in headquarters challenged the "major pro­ to be highly accessible to all offices requiring jects" cre w to a hock ey tourney ... and Wednesda y, Jun e 3rd was "Air Clean/Ca r assistance with environmental mitigation and won . The come back challenge for a base­ Free" day in Victoria. The cha llenge was to roadside development matters. ball ga me and th e "ma jor projects" team park your car and walk, bicycle, carpool or won. What in the nam e of "employee well­ take transit to work. Staff was asked to sign ness" is next? a tally board in th e lobby: 45 walk ed, 33 (/eji to right) Mike Kent. Director HiglJlI'CIY rode a bik e, 75 took transit, 40 carpooled , Enuiron ntent Bra nch and some ofhis staff and 14 did a co mbina tio n (car/ bike , Angela Bu ckingham'. jane \'(/aters and car/ walk, etc.). Al Planiden. Major Projects team with trophy and kids 14 Road RII IIncr Summe r 1992 Happy 50th, Alaska Hig

In 1942, fea r of a Japanese invasion during World War II dro ve The road was built without much regard for grades. At one po int, a 16,000 America n and Canadian soldiers/civilians to work 24 hours a sign was erected that read :"Suicide Hill, prepare to meet thy maker." day to bu ild a 2,400 km temporary, military-supply line - co nnect­ The intention was to go ba ck over the route and buil d a properly ing Daw son Creek, S.c. to Fairbanks, Alaska - within e ight and a engi neered road. Seve ral co nstruction co ntracts were let but , before half months. lon g, the threat of a Jap anese invasion ended and no further contracts American milita ry leader s sa w th e ro ute as a d irect land link to were undertaken . Alaska to connect a half-d ozen ex isting airfields. Business and politi­ O ne stretch that was co mpleted with good alignment and grade ca l groups in Ca na da a nd th e Sta tes sa w the road as th e ke y to and a gravel surface - from Dawson Creek to Charlie Lake. developing the sparse ly populate d northwestern co rner of No rth America . Public travel on the highway beyond Cha rlie Lake was restri cted until 1948 because of the limited number of facilities and accommoda­ The thousands of men a nd hu ndr eds o f mach ines bu ild ing the tions. rou te need ed a co nstant flow of enormo us amo unts of food , gas and mac hinery parts . But there was no turning back . The road was an ope n door to the no rth and the peopl e came. According to an army pamphlet at the time: "O nce they pu sh ed back the wilderness, men and machines mu st build we ll or starve . Hence the road was dra ined, graded, bridged and surface d in ma ny Canada Takes Over sections to su pply the advancing wor k points. Th e te mporary road became the (Alaska) highway." It was an American invasion. Ottawa sa t back and let the U.S. do what it want ed. It wa s ba ckbreaking work. O ne hundred rivers and five mountain ranges were crossed. Along the way, mach inery sna pped, strea ms Even after the highway was co mp leted in November 1942, main ­ flooded and rip ped ou t bri dges, rai n un d id days worth of toil in tenance was carried o ut by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. hours, an d mud swallowed ca ts and tractors. Instant towns sprang It wasn 't un til Ap ril 1, 1946 that th e highway w ithin th e Yuko n up along the rou te. and British Columbia was passed to Canada . Maintenance then came under the Ro yal Cana dian Engin eers, with the ir head qu ar­ ters in Whiteh orse. Ap ril 1, 1964, ma intenance was tran sferred to th e De p artme nt of Public Wo rks Canada , Whiteh orse. Over the yea rs, Public Wo rks Ca nada's re constructi on and paving program s have eliminat­ e d most of th e "pro ble ms and cha llenges" ex perienced by drivers in the early yea rs, includ­ ing Suicide Hill.

The Ministry's Role

Th e Surveys Branch of the Department of Lands co nd ucted the first le gal sur veys for th e Alas ka Highway in 1942. Early in 1961, th e Department of Highwa ys be gan to re-surve y the Alaska Highway rights-of­ wa y to a hi gh er st andard between Daw son Creek and the Peace River. Road Runner Summer 1992 15 buiay

During the 1970s, ministry officials held regu­ lar meetings with Public Works,Canada (White horse), to set standards for Alask a Highway reconstru ction. After that standard had been achieved, the route through H.C. was to be passed to the province. From 1976 until 1987, one of th e ministry's emp loyees, Frank Cla pp arranged for and administered surve ys for some 250 miles of highway between Mile 83 and Fort Nelson (Mile 300), sectio ns at Kledo Cree k and at Mun cho Lake some distance west of Fort Nelson as well as one se ction from Lower Post to the Yukon bord er. To date , the province ha s jurisdi ction of the Alaska Highway rights-of-way to the Yukon bor­ der but is responsibl e for maintaining the route on ly from Mile "0" at Dawson Creek to Mile 83.6 plus, two kilometres through Fort Nelson. Public Works Canada still maintains the highway from MIle 83.6 to Mile 627 at the Yukon bord er.

The Reflector

man y other porti ons were narrow and had sights o n thi s high way has alwavs been Driving the little gravel, if any. the road leading up to Trutch (Mile 200) . In places where the gumbo had work ed At one point, looking north, one cou ld see Alaska Highway its way to th e surface , and w he n it was sec tions of the road far ahead, not as one co ntinuo us stretch but as three, one offse t By Frank: Clapp, retired ministry employee raining, it was all one co uld do to stay on the road . from the other, as the road wo und its way up and over the ridge thro ugh the dark O n one trip , I recall seeing numerous Whil e ['ve dr iven th e length of th e green spruce . ca mpe r vans and ca rs from th e United Alaska Highway to its farthest westerl y Stat es, off the roa d and wait ing for it to The realign ed high way no lo nger goes point in British Columbia, most of my trips over Trutch "Mo untain" but skirts it on a covered the 300 miles between Dawson dr y or a tru ck to come alo ng and pull them out. easy , almost level gradient. Creek and Fort Nelson. When it was dry, on man y section s, one Today, the Alaska Highway is a pleasure Between 1961 and 1978, I travelled the had little difficulty det ermining wheth er or to drive - wit h its good alignment, wide area sometimes twice a yea r - a week in not there we re onco ming vehicl es, as their roadway, easy grades and paved surface. th e summer and another in th e fall . pr esence was announced by clouds o f Much of its 300 foot right-of-way has been Initially the highway north of Mile 83 was, dust that co uld be see n from miles away. cleared wh ich allows fo r ma ny scenic for the most part, in its or igin al locati on . views of the surround ing hills an d distant Som e sections had been widened, whil e For me , one of th e most mem or abl e mountains. 16 Road Ru nner Summer 1992

We often work co -operatively with Your Serve local co mmun ities in order to assi st th em with program s o n th eir street networks. Kevin Higgins of Robson District has The challenge is out. Ron Wiehe, Public Information Cfficer in Region 4, sen t in been advising/ assisting McBride this list ofSeruice Excellence performance highlights that were compiled hy Village with their efforts to have Main Regional Manager, Operations Laioren Wagar. I'm sure other regions and branches Street paved , and we ha ve no direct ba te some Service Excellen ce performances tbey ca n brag about too. Send them to responsibilit y to do so. the attention oftbe Road Ru nner Editor. We 'd love to share them. Now that's service!

Similar to th e general Excellence Challenge information booklet, there sometimes is need for a list of st aff th at includes "Excellence" in the de live ry of our ser­ same time made th e job titl es and a sho rt vices is so me thing that is pra cti ced eve ry Financial Cle rks jobs description of duties/ day by ma ny o f the sta ff and man ag er s more in teresting and interests/background. throughout the Central/North East. Here are challenging Fort George had such a a few of the things that have been happen ­ ~ ~ ~ ~ list for Vince Collins and ing rece ntly: Dan Doyl e when th ey We 're often as ke d visited their office , whi ch A sea lcoating proj ect ran into problems to meet wi th newly was ver y helpful to them wh en the as pha lt would not cure or "set" e lec te d officials or in me eting the staff. Hats pr operl y, and as a result man y ve h icles staff from other agen­ off to yo ur innovati on en de d up with tar spo ts on them from the cies to inform them of Errol Redman ' stones that were picked up . the ministry and its Fort George ens ured th at we paid for programs. any cle aning done to these ve hicles, and Fort George staff We often have the task of acce pted invoices at the district office. prepared an information Kevin H igg ins, DHM, Robson explaining our programs and booklet abo ut the dis- details of the technologies we use , to ind i­ trict, its staff and servi ces, whi ch has been vid uals or groups wh o 've pr econceiv ed well received. It has been not ed by many individuals ideas or solu tions. tha t response time to qu eri es/ complaints, etc. is one area where we must improve. Reg Fredrick son, Nec hako Distri ct has had some succ ess (finally) in convinc ing We are increa singly ex pected to keep Stan Glad ysz in our South Peace District Fran coi s Lake area resid en ts tha t seal coat­ our public informed of our programs, and gets our nod on this one. He answe rs every­ ing the road from Fraser Lake will provide to solicit their input and participation. thing imm ediately , and it doesn 't matt er an acceptable surface , and paving would what else he is involved with at the time!! Tracy Coope r, DHM, Ce ntra l Cariboo not be achi evabl e due to high cos t. Great District goes to great length s to meet with stuff! community groups, parent/teacher associa­ Service to employees is so me times for­ tions, school boards, etc. and much of it is gotten in our sea rch for excellence in cus­ after hours . . . way to go Tracy!' John Clark's staff has been addressing a tomer service. ~ ~ ~ ~ number of dra inage problem s in the North Fred Hu gh es , Man ager of Fina ncial Peace District with much enthusiasm. John Traffic contro l and assurance of minimal Services and his team found a way to deri ves grea t personal satisfacti on from disruption/delay is of param ount impo r­ improve se rvice to employees and to othe r so lving problem s that crea te satisfied cus­ tance during construction works. business un its. Regional Finan cial Clerks tom ers. Both he and his staff have realized wer e divided into th ree teams. Each tea m Go rdon Wagn er and North Cariboo a number of "small wins" along the road to is respo nsib le for all financial aspects (pay­ District staff becam e inv ol ved via public a larger, more significant contribution. ro ll, cost di stributio n, travel vo uc he rs , relati ons/medi a advertising and inn ovative invoice and co ntract payments, tru st on-site sc he d uling co ntro ls to mi nimize There's nothing really special about account rep lenishme nt) for a group of busi­ p roblems during deck resurfacin g o f th e Service Excellence, except the sincere ness un its. Thanks ga ng . You put the Moffat Stree t Bridge, with excellent results. desire to serve our customers... so let 's hum an tou ch back into business and at the First class work! keep it going! Road Runner Summer 1992 17

Suggestion Unsung Hero Sings Avvard

Raelyn Scott , in the headquarters Payroll to Victoria, I intro duced myself to Raelyn Winners Department, has made a differ ence to and to ld her abo ut o ur d istrict. We don't Stikine District employees, says Tracy have a ban k. The closest one is seven to Hubner. eight hours south of us. Deputy Minister , Vince Collins wrote to "Whe n th e odd pay che q ue doesn 't go Raelyn to congratulate her saying, "Many of dir ect deposit , for wh atev er reason , it's a our people in ce ntra l administration are major incon venience to the employee who ofte n th e un sung hero es by qu ietl y b ut receives it. effec tive ly ca rrying o ut th e ir duties in a wa y th at keeps th e wh eel s greased. You "Well, we've had a co uple of instan ces developed th e right cus to me r focu s in wh er e th e co mputer pr int ed o ne of o ur regard to th e folks in the Stikine Distri ct cheques for manu al dep osit. But it proved and I thank you for it." no problem becau se Rael yn sto pped it, ph on ed us to let us know and voluntee red What exactly did Raelyn do? to deposit the che q ue in the appropr iate Tracy said, "On a 'Service Excellence' trip bank ."

Regional Director (right) Neville Hope Mission Impossible prese nts Dean A nderson his award. Dean F. Anderson, Regional Develop­ The ministry was asked to set up an audi o-control signal for the 13. c. government dis­ ment Technician , Vancouver Island play at Ind ep enden ce '92 - the biggest conference for the disabled ever - (see article Region , was awarded S500 in March for on page 9). his idea to simplify closure procedures Al Sadler's electrical crew at headqu arters said, "Sure, we can set something up in two for Section IV roads wh ich avoided sur­ week s." Publi c Affairs Bran ch told them they had one week . They heaved a co llective vey costs and paperwork for both our sigh, said it was a challenge to do the impossible and then did it! ministry and the Lands Title Office. Congra tula tions .. .. Dave Trodd, Jamie Hill, Gary Stajduhar and contractor Wayne Marie Stebbing, Senior Budget Officer, Murphy too. And, thanks for not saying we didn 't give you enough time, so tough. hea dquarters, won for her sugge stion to make financial information, Chart of Jamie Hill, Tra.111c Signal Technicia n, setting up the audio-con trol signa l Accounts Manual, available on-line for Independen ce '92. instead of just in hard copy . Barb Fowles, Personnel Operations Assistant at headquarters, was awarded for her initiative in creating a word pro­ cessing glossary for performance plan­ ning and appraisal forms. Chuck Milne and Karen Scherr, North Island District Office cut some red tape when they suggested that annu al regis­ tration requirements for companies rent­ ing or leasing equipment to the ministry be eliminated. Dick Jones and Pearl Allen , District Office in Hop e, won for their suggestion to print related forms, which are always used together, back-to-back on the same piece of paper. Nellie Thompson, Thompson Office. suggested that only black ink pens be stocked to redu ce the problem of faded signatures on photocopies. 18 Road Runuer Sum mer 1992

Purveyors of Green Slurry

13)1 Tom H7. Parki n, PIINic Information Cfficer, van coui er Islalid Regioll

"Here, why don't yo u give it a try?" sa id We were at Fren ch Creek because heavy Ian Walker. He passed the nozzle and hand ra ins th e pr e viou s winter had ca use d soil controls to me, keeping the micropho nes in erosion o n a larg e em bankment. Efforts to order to di re ct dri ver Ralph Hayward J\ Day dam and filter the run off were useful on a be low. small scale but a vege tative cover with a sta­ I pointed the no zzle an d o pened the ble roo t system was required for lon g-term pum p thrott le. A jet of green sp ray shot ou t in the control. with force, arci ng 30 me tres ac ross a ditch Fall rye provides this by grow ing fast and and onto a recently-cleare d e mba nk me nt shading the grass, which is slower to estab­ near French Creek (o n the new inlan d sec­ Work Life lish , and more tende r. The rye doesn't tion of the Vancouver Islan d High way reseed, but by next year th e g rass Project), and legumes arc "No wonder fire secure e no ug h to fighters lo ve their do the job alone , work," I thought. "We work in "Sq uirting water conjunction w ith lo ng distances rais­ proj e ct supervi­ es the competitive sors," says Ian , spirit in every boy. "and also wit h Th es e guys get to area managers do it with the most throu gh the Reg­ sophi sti cated ional Roadside eq uipme nt avail­ D e v e l o p m e n t able." Tech nician, Bruce I was standing Nixon on Vancou­ atop one of four ver Isla nd and h y d r o s e e d e r s Wa lly Sm ith in which MoTH owns. So uth Coast Re­ Th ese "mach ines" gion. Th is work is are used to control important enough erosion and beau ti­ th at we co me at fy scarred slopes th eir beck and around the pro­ ca ll, rath er th an vince . Ian and wait until we ha ve crew, which also lot s to do in o ne included Rick Ph il­ area." brick an d Kirby Sin ce I had Russel, are ded icat­ nearl y e mp tied ed to the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, the entire tank in just three or four minutes and Vancouve r Island areas. and still left some areas bare of the green Hydroseed crew Ralph Hayward (left) a nd slurry, Ian took over th e co ntro ls to fini sh Like o ld- time "p ha rmac ists" w ho sold Ian Walker beside their tru cle. me dicine fro m th e back o f a tra ve lling the job . Tom Parkin photo wagon, these pilgrims travel abo ut dispen s­ With gra ceful swoo ps of restorative ing a for mula of grass/ flower/ clove r seed, "e lixir," he quickly cove red the spots I'd grains of fall rye, kelp meal , fertilizer , wood missed, while avoiding an adjacent water­ fiber and tackifier, course. Th is "elixir of beauty" is churned in with Th e colo ur is in th e d yed wood fibre I wa s reminded of a landscape painter,a 11,000 litr es of water inside th e tank and mulch. It se rves to mark areas already cov­ watercolourist on a grand scale . Our laid do wn as a green slurry with the spray ered and then bleaches to ea rth ton e within hydroseeding crews are surely both artists gun. a we ek. and environmentalists in their own spe cialty. Roa c! NUll ner Summer 1992 19

Employment Equity in Action

A recent thr ee-day wor kshop in Victor ia A progress report on the was an eye-o pener fo r me mb er s of th e committee 's action plan will ministry's Employment Equity Committee . appear in the next issu e of Th ey heard first -h and from a guest Road Runner. speaker with cerebral palsy abo ut the barri­ ers faced by disabl ed people in gett ing a job. And from an aborig ina l wom an who descri bed th e discr iminati on th at First (left to right) Nations peopl e have ex pe rienced since the .I1/((VRoberts on, Region 6; Indian Act was proclaimed in 1876. A num ­ Sylvia Holla nd, Action ber o f othe r speake rs ca me to di scu ss Pia n Workshop leadel;' employment equity. Pauline Steuia rt, HQ; Having ga ine d a better under st anding and David Robertson, HQ. abo ut emp loy me nt equity and th e issu es surrounding it, the committee is now devel­ op ing an ac tio n pl an for th e ministry's employment equity program. Employme nt equity in the public service will be a poli cy of the provincial govern­ ment. The ministr y's goal is to attrac t and To Second, Dr Not To Second retain th e best available workfor ce ; one By Fred Hugh es, Regi on 4 th at also refl ects th e di versit y of Briti sh Columbia's population . That is the question you may ask when you see a secondment notice. Fred Hughes as ke d him sel f the sa me qu estion. His answer may hel p you the next time you're Four grou ps ha ve been hist ori call y wondering wheth er to second , or not to second. und er-represent ed in our ministry, or large­ ly co nfine d to lower-level jobs : women, With mixed fee lings I a pplie d for a second ment into th e positio n of Manager, ab o riginal people, visible min orities and Finance and Administration , Highw ays Ope rations in Victoria, While it was an oppo r­ person s with disabilities. tunity to work closel y with Dan Doyle , Assistan t Deputy Min ist er, High ways Ope rations, it meant a long abse nce from my two families (personal and work). Th e Emp loy me nt Equ ity Commi ttee's mandate is to raise awaren ess and develop Th rowing cautio n to the wind , I applied and in Augu st was accepted for a five­ action plans to achieve employme nt equity week term commencing January 6th. within the ministry. Arriving right afte r Christmas , my first week se rved as a settling-in period. Over The co mmittee, whi ch has merged with the next four, I worked on a number of things includ ing canvassing headquarters staff the Wom en 's Programs Committee to form to see how they got to work (only 24 per cent drive), participating in producing issue one gro up, includes the foll owing repre­ pap ers for our 92/93 budget submission, and review ing fina ncial reports for profes­ se ntatives from headquart ers: Dan Doyle , sional services branches. ADM, Highways O pe ra tio ns ; Veronica At the 11th hour, as I was prepa ring to return home, the incumbent of this position Walsh , Highways Oper ati ons; Barb opted to delay her return. (Jud y Stokes was enjoying her time at home with her five­ Harrison, Women's Progr am s Alte rna te month-old so n, Tory .) Afte r co ns ulting with my wife and my regional d irector, I Adv iso r, Deputy Mini st er 's Office ; Mac acce pted the offer to stay an additional four weeks. Go do, Planning and Major Proj ects; Jeff To un wind after hou rs, I picked up a new hobby - gem and mineral collecting. I Knight , Pu bli c Affairs; Cyndy Dint er, bo ug ht so me books on th e subject and a few samples , but now that I'm ba ck in Ministry Emp loy ment Eq uity Re pr esent­ Prince George, I'll be out with my geologist pick and field guide to collect my own ative, Personnel Services; and Paul ine samples. Stewart, Administrative Services. Reflecting up on my ex perience, I'd encourage anyone who has an opportunity to And the region al represe ntatives : Sharlie participate in a secondment to do so . As a trai ning an d personal growth vehicle, I Huffman , Women's Pro gr ams Adviso r, have nothing but positive feelings abo ut it and I learn ed some things about head­ Central/North East; Lynda Jo nes, So uth quarters. Coast; Joanne Harder, Thompson­ Okanagan; Maureen McCrae , Koot enays; One, the Deputy and Ass ista nt Deput ies are rea l peo ple . Two, the staff in Nella Todd , Central/North East (Chair); executive branch is as dedicated and hardworking as any in the province. And three, Marilyn Matt son,North West ; Judy the pressures that exist at headquarters to ans we r imposs ible questions within impos­ Robertson , Vancou ver Island. sible deadlines are real. 20 Roa d RUII /w r Summer 1992

Introducing ....

Perso nnel Services Branch welcomes Bob Marsh, our new Manager, Health and Safety . Bob join s us with an extensive background in the field, having previously worked wit h Workers' Compensation Board , Juan de Fuca Hospital and recently as a private sector consu ltant. Bob is also a dedicated athlete and par­ ticipant in Iron-man Triath lons, So what's an Iron-Man Triathlon? A race that includes running 26.2 miles, swi mming 2.4 miles and cycling 112 miles. I think we 've fou nd a role model for employee wellness!

Recruitment and Selection Research Before you dec ide, get as much inforrna­ How to Beat the Odds tion as possible about the job . Make up a list of questions and call the contact person When you apply on a job , do yo u fee l if one is listed. (If not, find out the immedi­ you've just bought a ticket on the lottery? It ate su pervisor.) Try to arra nge a meet ing. doesn't have to be a matter of luck. Then call the personnel office and ask for a copy of the job desc ription. When you se e an ad ve rtise ment in the "Postings' that interests yo u, look at the Now you know what the job's all abo ut education and experience qua lifications. and need to ask yourself: Am I still interest­ ed? Is the job wh at I thou ght it was? Do I The qualifications listed are the minimum have the ed ucation, expe rience, know ledge examini ng yo ur knowledge and sk ills as required to qua lify for the position. If you and skills requ ired to do the job? If the job they pertain to the job requirements. meet them, great. If you don't, stop now! is in ano ther location , am I and my family You must meet the ba sic ed uca tio n and From your research, you've a copy of the prepared to move? Can I afford to relocate? job description and possibly not es tak en experience qu alifications to be co nsidered from your discussion with the supervisor. in the selection process. So, you decide to go for it. Now yo u have to se ll yo urse lf. Use yo ur research Review this information to prepare yourself Often , it's not "black and white." The ad info rmation. In your application, describe for questions that might be asked. may refer to an eq uivalen t combination of your education and ex pe rience in terms of If you're concerned how you might react education and experience. If thi s is the the job req uirements. Outline what you've in an interview, practice. Prepare questions case, phone the contact pe rso n listed and done an d how it relates to the job d uties that might be asked and do a "role play" find out what it means. and resp onsibilities. (Often the application with a frien d or colleague . Have him/her Oka y, you meet the bas ic qualificatio ns . form has space limitation s, don't be afraid ask you the questions. Wha t about the preferred qua lifica tions? to attach additional pages or use a covering If yo u co me pr epar ed to the int er view What do they mean? letter.) you 'll be mo re co nfide nt and knowl edge­ Preferred qua lifications mayor may not In prov iding this information, do n't exag­ able than those that aren't. This may just be be used by the employer to furt her screen gerate but be thorou gh . How we ll yo u the edge you need. applicants. This often depends on the qua l­ complete you r application will often deter­ App lying on a competition doesn 't have ity and quantity of ap plications received on mine if you'll be called for interview. to be so lely a matter of cha nce. By apply­ a competition. ing co mmo n se nse, understanding the If you meet both the basic and preferred Success! selectio n process and doing some research qualifications yo u will, in all likel ihood , You've just been invited for an interview you can be in control. be considered for further testing and /or and a test - we ll do ne! Wha t do yo u do The bett er prepared yo u are, the mo re an interview. Shou ld you decide to apply. now ? At this stage, the emp loyer will be likely you are to win. GO FOR IT ! Road RIIIlIler Summer 1992 21

Meet Our 1992 Ells

O, we are not talk ing about littl e DENNIS NADON is attaining his degree crea tures from othe r planets; tha t in Comp uter Engineeri ng. His initial assign­ would be ETs. EITs are stude nt men t will be in Construction Eng ine ering, N"Enginee rs in Training." Victoria. Dennis has had previo us work The way the program works is, enginee r­ experie nce with the Ministry of Forests in ing stude nts receive job ex pe rience wh ile the Information Systems Branch. the ministry crea tes a pool of potential STEPHEN ALEXANDER is attaining his employees. degree in Geolog ical Engineering with an Trainees co mp lete two assignme nts em phasis o n Soil and Rock Mec hanics as under th e mentorship of a p rofessional well as Gro undwa ter Enginee ring. Stephen engineer. Each ass ignme nt lasts approxi­ worked last su mmer in th e Geotechn ica l mately one year. and Mat erials Branch in th e Kam loops office. His initi al assignment will be with the Highway Geotec hnical Branch , Region EDUARD MISKA is completing co urses 5, Terrace. tow ard a Masters Degre e in Electri cal and Comp ute r Engineering.Edua rd 's previ ou s MARIO PONZIN I is atta ining his degree work history was with the Canadian Forces in Civil Engineering. He gradua ted fro m where he was responsibl e for the qu alit y BCIT with a diplom a in Civil and Structura l assura nce of co mbat and electrical systems Eduard Miska with his mentor, (right) Technology and began wor king with the for the (TRUMP) Tribal Class Upda te and Dr. \\'iei-\\'illZOIl. Senior Traffic HnRineer. minist ry in 1981. In 1988 he decided to Modernization Proj ect. He decided that beadquarters. specialize in civil engineering, took special System s Engineering was the area in which education leave and enrolled at UBC. Mario he wished to spec ialize. will be beginnin g his first assignment in the Construction and Design Branch , Region 4, BRIGID MCGORAN has her degree in Prince George. Electrica l Engineering. She previou sly worked with Environment in the System s ALEXA KARLICKI has attaine d her Services Bran ch , Victoria. Her first ass ign­ DENNIS BICKEL is attaining his degr ee d egree in Civil Engineer ing from the ment will be in the Highway Maintenan ce in Civil Engin eering. He lives in Rich mond Unive rsity of British Columbia. Alexa has Branch , Victoria . but his first ass ignme nt will bring him to worked pr eviously as a junior engi neer Victori a to work in the Highway with the Department of Nationa l Defen ce. Maintenance Branch . Her initial assignm ent with the ministry will take her to the Kootenays Regional Office. DAVID GOODING attained his degree in Civil Engineering. He 's lived in northern B.C. fo r a number of yea rs but his initial as signme nt will be in th e Highway Engineering Branch , Victoria.

RONDA ZHENG has her Masters Degree, Ch ina, in Civil Engineering and has now completed her co urse work for a Ph.D. She pr eviously work ed as a Co-op Gr aduate Engineer in Highway Engineering, Victoria. Ronda's in itial assignment will be in th e Contest! Highway Engineering Branch, Victoria. We need ca rtoons/gra phics for o ur columns. We thought staff might like to try their hand at it.

Send us yo ur ideas to illu str ate "Yo ur Serve," "Spotlight on..." and "The Ret1ector." The winning illustration will appear in the Bright Mc cloran with her mentor, Fall Road Runn er, so make sure your illus­ Ga rtb Shearing . tration is in to the Editor by August 15. 22 Road Runner Summer 1992

Spotlight on... South Peace District Photos by Ken Seto

LOCATION: On the Albe rta border South of the Peace River and north east of Hart Mountains We put two districts in the Spotlight this issu e to celebrate the Office: Dawson Cree k 50th anniuersary oftbe Alaska High way. Lane Kilometres of Road : 2,787 Numbe r of Bridges: 93 Stan Gladyz, District High ways Manager Numbe r of District staff: 20 DHM: Stan Gladysz Main Towns: Dawson Creek, Tum bler Ridge, Chetwynd Main High ways: 97,, 29 Mainten ance Contractor: Peace Country Maintenance Ltd. Scenic Poin ts: Old Kiskatinaw Bridge, Kinueo Falls, Peace River Valley, Mile Zero of Alaska Highway Activities: Hiking, sno wmobiling, skiing, cross -country skiing, cam ping, fishing.

Florence Calland, Mile "0" District Clerk In 1942 , th e village of Dawson Creek Reception was a slee py little community with ap proxi­ mately 500 people. Early March of that yea r the co mmunity woke up to th e first troop train of U.S. Military Eng ineers arriving to Fern Leman. (left) co nstruc t th e Alas ka Highw ay. Dawson Hired Equipment Clerk Creek has since been kno wn as Mile "0" of Doreen Meerman the Alaska Highway. District Clerk Regulatory Rendezvous '92 in South Peace Here's just a peek at what's happening in the South Peace District for Rendezvous '92 this summer. You're invited to co me on up and join the celebrations . July 7 and 8, Dawson Creek hosts th e La rr y Ballard Airmada (re-enac tme nt of the histori c ferr y­ A rea Manager. Bridges ing of military aircraft during the war). In Aug ust , the re 's a fair and rodeo in Dawson Creek the 7th to 9th, ano the r fair and ro deo in Tumbler Ridge th e 15th to 17th , and the B.C. Seniors Summer Ga mes in Dawson Creek the 25th to 28th. In Sep te mber, th e re 's a special "Rallye Alaska Highway '92 " that starts in Dawson Creek Septembe r 17 and ends in Fairb ank s, Alaska on the 27th. Events are planned for seven categories of ve hicles: antique, mili­ tary, passenger cars, motorhom es , comme r­ cial, pickup tru cks and co mpetitio n cars. Maria Braden , District Finance a nd Anyo ne ca n e nter. Call (604) 583-1197 fo r Admin istration Cfficer information . Road Runner Summ er 1992 23

oan iel Blais (le.!iJ North Peace District Area Manager Photos hy Bob Matula Trainee LOCATION: In the northeast corne r of Dtoain Horn la nd B.C., bordering o n Alberta to the eas t (sta nding) and the Yukon and North West Area Manager Territories to the north Cbeturvnd Offices: District Office - Fort St. John Ab Rattray (right) Sub-Office - Fort Nelson A rea Manager Region al Dep ot - Fort St. John Lane Kilometr es of Road : 4,710 Number of Bridges: 105 Numbe r of Staff: 23 (plus a region comm tech , electrician and yardman) District High ways Manager: John Clark Main Towns: Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Hudson Hope, Taylor Main Highways: 97, 29 and 77 Mainten ance Contractor : Northland Road Services Sceni c Points:WA C. Bennett Dam , Trutch Mountain, Liard Hot Springs, Muncho Lake, Summit Lake Activities: Skiing, fishing, hunting, snowmo­ biling , hiking, boating, trail rides, go lfing, motorcross

Historic Mileposts Byjobn Cla rk, DffM North Peace District co-ordinated installa­ tion of Historic Mileposts and other signs for the Alaska Highw ay 50th Anniversary. Jim Steu -art (sta nd ing) Area Manager Nolan Thi s was a unique situation as Public andjim Parker (seated) Area l'via nager Alderson, Works Canada, ma int ains th e Alaska Area Highway from Mile 83.6 (Km 135) to Mile Manager, 627 (Km 1009) at th e Yu kon border. Th e provincial govern ment o nly has jurisd iction (sta nd i ng from leJi to right) Tumbler over the use of the highway rights-of-way. Alex Fraser, Senior Engineering Aide Nidge Peter Howell, District Deuelopment Tech Stan Beaulieu , District Tech Paul Con ne lly, Enginering Aide (seated left to right) Joe Dagasso , Engineering Aide Cu rtis McTa oish, Engineering A ide

,'vim )' Bourget (sitting) a nd Halt Brown , two ofour District Clerks 24 Road Runner Summer 1992

Our district had to determine historic loca­ tions alon g 1000 km of highway and in the end, co-ordinated installation of 180 signs. We woul d like to ex p ress o ur thanks to all involved for their support and co-ope ra­ (right) tion , w ith special thanks to headquart er s j ohn Clark, Traffic Branch, in particular, Neil Vickers. DHMand This distri ct is involv ed in preparation s Dale Hillm an, for an Air Sho w in Fort St. John, July 19th . District We ex tend an invitation for all to driv e the Development Alaska Highway and join the celebrations. Tech

(left) Gail Mart in, S. District Clerk and Debra Pool, F&A Offic er

(left) Sha nnon Savard and Pat Quinlan, ou I' newest mem hers to the d istrict staff

(right) Ray Fortier , Engineering Assistant; Todd Lang, EA J; Colin Anerson Engineering Rendezvous '92 in North Peace Aide 3; Rex Wallace, Highl igh ts of events in the North Pea ce EA2 and District Tech, District this summer: In Jul y, For t St. John Latorence Olson hosts the Airmada the 7th and 8th, a rodeo the 10th to 12th, a War Bird Fun Fly th e 11th to 12th , and an International Airshow on the 19th of July. In Aug ust, Taylor hosts the "World Class Go ldpa nn ing Cha mp io ns hips" on th e 1st and 2nd , Fort St. John hosts a summe r Arts an d Cra fts Fest ival the 5th and 6th , a Scave nger Hun t and the Dinosaur Paddlers Raft Race on the 30th.

Bruce Craig. District Deuelopment Tech and Ray Tardiff, Project Tech

Allan Edgar, Area Manager Roads; Floyd Ericlestad, A rea Manager Bridges; CliffTboceson, A rea Manager Roads; Dennis Culling. Area Manage r Roads; Bah Kettn er. Area Manager, Roads; Leslie Elder, Area Manager Train ee and Brian Deakin, A rea Manager Roads (standing left to right ab oue) Road Run ner Summer 1992 25

ON THE ROAD ... Perfect Partnership To Hollywood The Professional Partnership Program operates through the Highways Operations Branch in headqu arters. It By Tom Parkin, Public Information Officer, Region 6 provides the ministry with a ready source of problem-solving and research work at redu ced cost'), while giving students prac­ II of us have favourite drives ­ tical (and paid) research experience routes we e njoy for th e ir scene ry, needed to complete a Masters Degree. hi ~tory , design, or for personal mern­ The perfect partnership. J\ ones. For me , suc h a highway is #37A in northwestern B.C. Right now, UBC is the only university In the sp ring of 1985, I was actua lly involved in the program. A good working Officiall y, MoTH ca lls it the Ste wa rt involved in a film segmen t shot on a glacier relationship has bee n established Highwa y, but locals know it as the Glacier ab ove thi s high wa y. Walt Disn ey Co. had between individual professors and direc­ Highway - a path of pavem ent which hir ed a friend, Bob Ennis, as director of tors to identify projects as well as to bran ches off the Cassiar Highway 37, takes photography for "Portraits o f Cana da ," a ensure each student is well supervised yo u to Stewart, B.C. and th en ends just film sho wn in Telecom Canada's pavilion at and guided. beyond Hyder, Alaska. Expo '86. Here's just a few of the projects we're The 64-kilometre Glacier Highway is the (You may rem ember Te lecom fo r its working on with our "partners." only road which links B.C. di rectl y to round theatre giving view ers a 360-degree Alaska. It cuts thr ou gh th e mountains at sce ne . Some readers may rem ember Bob Avalanche Run Out Distances for Bear Pass, then plunges to tidew ater down also as producer of a Bridge to Tomorrow, the B.C. Coastal Range by Dan Nixon a narrow valley. the ministry's story of building the Annacis (a former Avalanche Technician with Bridge.) MoTH) will allow roadway designs to Thi s is neck -kinking country. Massive include better provisions for avoiding glac iers flow within ec ho distan ce of th e For my part, we stoo d two oil barrels on avalanches. ro ad . Nowhe re in B.C. can yo u dri ve so stilts o n th e run-o ut fan of an av alanc he close to such prehistoric ice. path . In sid e th em were rented (b ut Development ofHybrid Bridge insured' ) cameras. Evaluation Program by A. Felber First into view is the crystalline cascade uses some of the work done by Buckland of Bear Glacier, which paws down a moun­ Trigger ing the ca me ras by rem ote co n­ and Taylor on the assessment of the tain sid e to crac k off ice be rgs into a roa d­ trol , we lifted off in a hel icopter. Above , Second Narrows Bridge. side lake. (In 1968, a photo in Road Runner MoTH ava lanche techs set off charges in a showe d th is glacier gri nd ing ag ains t th e cornice (a massive snow ove rhang) to start Shear Strength of Existing Concrete slo pe whe re the highway now ru ns. A a slide which thr eatened to wi pe o ut the Bridges by Scott Webster is of great warming climate has since ca used th e road . interest for the assessment of bridges for seismic (earthquake) response. Bear's toe to melt back.) Down it ca me, ga the ring speed like a A hundred-metres ab ove the present for mula one racer. Film audiences saw a Seismic Foundation Evaluation of highway is a sing le-lane ruin of a roa d . It rolling white cloud get closer . .. close r . Five Bridge Sites in the Richmond! look s like a goat trail , bu t was o nce th e It was approaching from every angle . Delta Area by Kevin Ritcher directly way ca rs bounced int o this va lley , sur­ There was no esca pe! relates to MoTH projects in the area. rounded by ice field capped summits. By flipping the film in alte rnate projec­ Testing ofMoTHRoadside Barriers These mo unta ins once held the wo rld 's to rs, an illu sion had been created of a by Rob Thomson will prod uce about recor d for a winter's snowfa ll, with an snowy bowl with a ridge all around from 50 per cent of the world's know ledge of ann ua l averag e o f e ight metres. In which multiple ava lanches were abo ut to the performance of segmented concrete Decem ber 1984, Stewart se t the Canadian smother viewers . barriers. record for a 24-hour period - 102 cm ! Death screamed down from every direc­ Design of Roads by Ronda Zheng Conseque ntly, many of our avala nche spe­ tion until the screen went BLACK. deve lops a state-of-the-art design proce­ cialists start their careers in Cassiar cou ntry. dure using Limited State Analysis and It has been six yea rs now, and I'm sti ll Probabilities and promises to produ ce Sma ll wonder th at winte r scenes for awa iting that call from California. Well . .. the movies the Thing and Bear Is/and, star­ standards that can be flexibly applied to maybe I'm safer stayi ng ou t of stunts any ­ better meet project requirements. ring Donald Suthe rla nd and Vanessa way. Red grave , wer e sho t here. More recen tly, Trip Diversion by Paul de Leur The Iceman, sta rring Timothy Hutto n Still, I'll never forget the Glacier Highway investigates the decision-making process thawed out here in 1982. - it's as close as I've come to a High way used by motorists who must choose to Hollywood. between two routes. 26 Road Runner Summer 1992

Your Fan Mail Happy 125th, Dedication and Excellent Treatment Continued Concern Canada (From a local Van couuerIsland This year we celebrate our 125th year Mr. Tra cy Cooper , District Highways publication: The Yellow Point Fly er) of nationhood. Across Canada and in Manager (Central Cariboo), and his staff In 1981 , Gordon and Jan e Vipond had B.C., many special events were held on must be congratulated on the dedi cation to move their business when the Ministry July 1st, Canada Day. But there's.still.six and co ntinued conc e rn they displayed of Transportation and Highways widened months left to show your support, to cel­ throughout th e (C h imney Lake Road) th e road on which it was locat ed. They ebrate what makes us unique: our envi­ paving co ntract. They were in contact with relocated to the Island Highway but in ronment, our supportive attitude beyond property ow ners co ntin ually to ens ure 1990 Highways again sa w fit to widen our borders, and our people and their satisfaction regarding driveway elevations. through their bu siness and they moved to achievements. The event theme.is "The Mr. Coope r was out here several times in their present location in South Wellington. Future Begins with You ." the evenings. Gordon say s that all his dealings w ith Jim Fraser, Director, Cb im ney-Felleer Lakes Highways were ex cellent and he was Landholders Association pleased with the treatment he received . Road Runner Swap Attention to Concerns Patience Public Information Officer, Tom Parkin Thank yo u, Peter Wightman , for th e and Courtesy (390-6122) in Nanaimo is looking to attention you and your staff have given to complete his set of old Road Runners. In our concerns over local road conditions in I would like to express my appreciation particular , he wants issues prior.to 1967. the Nanoose area . We realize road impr­ for your support of North Saanich Council "I'm willing to trade.s-he says. "If you ovement funds have been scarce and we in its decision to endorse your enginee r's have any of these issues I'll trade you are very pleased you will be able to finish plan for an alternative connec tion from some spares from my library, I offt:f portions of Dolphin Drive and Powder Curteis Point to Highway No. 17. The role three for one." Point Road that needed resurfacing. of o ne of yo ur sta ff deserves s pecia l recognition. Mr. Joe Camillari (who works Up for swap are April 7 3, Summer '79, Charles R. Gabr, President, Nanoose on the Vancouver Island Highway Project) Fall '79, Autumn '80, Spring '81, Summer Peninsula Oumers & Residents Association presented his arguments frankly and fairly, of '81, Fall '81, Spring '82, Summer '8(', exh ib ite d th e greatest patience an d Fall '87, Winter '87 and December 1988. Extra Care and Attention courtesy in responding to questions while (Sent to SNC La ualin,Cassia r Con nector leaving no doubt as to the extremely tight p roject managem ent co ntractor) deadlines. I found his thoroughly profes­ sional attitude a credit to the ministry. Bra.. v.o.'.' F&ADfficers.. . ',- " ,- '. -' ,,- ,. ',,' .'-."', .".".-', ,.-. ,. " ....-.," . . . I would like to thank your company for Maurice Chazottes, Mayor the ex tra care and attention you gave our District ofNortb Saa n ich and Managers students whil e the Cassiar Connec tor was A summary report showed that , in under co ns truc tio n . Th e stude nts safet y February, a total of 86per cent of min­ wa s assured with th e bu s pi ck up and Good Work, Highvvays istry suppliers were paid within 30 days extra supervisors. (From the Sech elt Press) which is up considerably from the 71 per Lesley Cha m bers, Chairperson, Begbie Last June, I noti ced on my daily walks cent paid within the same time.frame in Parent 's Com m ittee along Chapman Cree k, that the south bank 9 i§ ~ris ~ It:Yt: I,jDf~Qr~ Hry, Janli

In Search of Native Plants

t one time, planti ng grasses was all the ministry did to Planting o f spe ­ "clean. up" the rights-o f-way after roa d co nstruction cies on which deer was comp le te d. No t any more . Take th e Island lik e to browse , Jl Highway Project for exa mple. adjace nt to high ­ Long befor e constructio n began, Roadside Developmen t speed high way tra­ was loo king at ways to lessen its impact o n the va luable ffic, co uld lead to scenic reso urces along the rout e. increased numbers of road kills. If sites The searc h was on to find the most attractive and easiest to have high deer populations and cannot be protected by ade­ maintain native grasses , wildflowe rs, shrubs and trees. quate fencing, many native tree and shrub plantings shou ld be Sounds eas y. Just transplant so me of the bu shes and flow­ avo ided. ers growing wi ld on the p ro pe rty near the roa d , right? Special co nsideration is required if an y of the grass/wild­ Wrong. flower cuttings are to be used as livestock feed by local farm­ Roadside Development hired an outside co nsultant, Jon es ers. Some of the wildflowers (eg . larkspu rs) contain high lev­ and Associat es, Victoria , to pr epare a report o utlining the els of alkaloids or other poten tial toxins. se lec tio n and pl an tin g of attractive native p la nt species . Anot her major pro blem, many wildflowers nat ive to coastal Besides soil and climate cond itions, here are just a few of the B.C. are not curren tly commercially available and the poten­ problems the Roadside Developmen t tea m asked the consul­ tia l exists for intro du ced spe cies to out co mpe te reside nt tant to conside r. plants and become a weed. In the end, a mail survey was developed and se nt to nurseries across North America to locate which co uld produce and supply native plants suitable for the project. What a job! \\?ho'd believe so much dedi ­ cation and know-how was behind keeping road rights-of-way looking "natural." Co ng ratulatio ns and thanks to th e Road side Deve lopment team: Al Planiden (Manage r) and his st aff. Jane \'(' at er s and Bru ce Nixo n, and th e Regi onal Roadside Development Technicians. Th ei r wor k on the Vancouver Island High wa y Project and other proj ects . will pa yoff for the ministry, the public and the environmen t. We should say thanks to the University of British Co lumb ia too. Roadsid e Development tcst plots native pl ants throug h liaiso n with its "Native Plant Introdu ction Programs." QP#93566