Crews work to restore traffic along Hwy. 19 in Lantzville following a washout and subsequent sinkhole in mid-November. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

ROAD WORK

Permanent repairs on Lantzville sinkhole scheduled for summer months

Mar 30, 2022 | 11:15 AM

NANAIMO — Designs are being finalized for permanent repairs to a sinkhole on Hwy. 19.

After an atmospheric river dumped a month’s worth of rain on the region over the course of a couple of days, a sinkhole opened on Hwy. 19, just north of Nanaimo on Nov. 18, leading to commutes of several hours long between Nanaimo and Parksville that day.

In a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, the ministry of transportation outlined permanent repairs to the sinkhole are scheduled to start in June.

“The first stage of construction, installing a new permanent culvert under the affected area, will only require night work and one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained during this time,” the statement read.

While speeds may be reduced during the day, the ministry said traffic at those times will have full access to all four lanes of traffic.

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A second stage of construction will focus on the downslope of the highway, according to the ministry.

“All lanes will remain available but there will be a posted speed limit of 60 kilometres per hour in both directions as the shoulder of the northbound lanes will serve as a staging area for the work crews.”

Crews are expected to wrap repairs by the fall.

Following last fall’s washout the sinkhole formed on Hwy. 19 about 100 meters north of Superior Rd.

Crews were able to stabilize the road and install a new, temporary culvert across the highway to restore traffic after a roughly 48 hour closure.

The repairs in Lantzville are in addition to much larger projects elsewhere in the province, namely to the Coquihalla Hwy. which sustained severe damage last November.

Bridges, along with long stretches of highway were washed out as a result of the same atmospheric river while parts of Hwy. 1 in the Lower Mainland and the Malahat on Vancouver Island also saw significant damage.

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