HIGHWAY 6—Last month, South Baymouth resident Larry Killens alerted The Expositor to strange happening on the newly-paved stretch of Highway 6 north of South Baymouth. Pictures show small holes and spots of rust forming on the roadway. Some areas look as though the highway had been shot repeatedly with a gun.
According to Gordan Rennie, regional issues and media advisor with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), northeast region, the MTO had inspected the new stretch of highway in late September as part of the project’s one-year warranty review and also discovered small potholes and rust staining. He explained that the ministry’s quality assurance and material experts are reviewing the matter to determine a possible cause and how best to make the repairs.
“Responsibility for the cost of the repairs will depend on what caused the material failure,” he said.
According to Mr. Killens, these marks begin in South Baymouth and run north for 35 kilometres, ending at the McLennan Bridge at the Cowan Sideroad intersection.
“My concern is that there are hundreds of these marks and hundreds of these holes all along this stretch of highway,” Mr. Killens told The Expositor. “Once water gets into these holes and it freezes, the highway will start to break up very quickly.”
In an email last week from Kristin Franks, speaking for Mr. Rennie, she explained that ministry staff again examined the pavement on November 8, with experts still investigating the matter.
“The rust staining is caused by oxidation of iron sulphide minerals within the aggregate,” she said.
The Expositor will continue with updates on this story as they become available.
