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Roads maintained well

The ratings of the road contractors who maintain the region’s roads show they are doing a good job, according to Ministry of Transportation audits.

The ratings of the road contractors who maintain the region’s roads show they are doing a good job, according to Ministry of Transportation audits.

That was what Ministry of Transportation Bulkley-Stikine district manager Mike Lorimer said as he talked about a recent report released by the B.C. Auditor General titled Upkeep of the Provincial Roads Network by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The purpose of the audit, according to Auditor General John Doyle, was to assess the current state of the MoT’s planning and management of the maintenance of B.C’s road network.

The report, weighing in at 32 pages, includes an extensive list of recommendations and a rating of how well the MoT has met their goals.

“Overall, government is managing its road maintenance programs well, and showing careful regard for cost, efficiency and effectiveness,” said Doyle in a media statement. “This is an encouraging finding, considering the importance of the road network for the well-being and safety of all B.C. communities.”

The grade was good news to the ministry.

“We were pleased with the outcome,” said Lorimer.

The two contractors who service the area are Lakes District Maintenance, which covers from Priestly Hill on the other side of Burns Lake to Wakefield Road, between Houston and Telkwa, and Billabong Road and Bridge which covers from Wakefield to Terrace, and beyond.

Audits of their performance place both of the companies within the 90-95 per cent rating range, said Lorimer, and that’s based on numerous audits conducted throughout the year.

According to the report, ratings of less than 85 per cent indicate that the results of the contractor’s performance were under the ministry’s requirements.

The majority of B.C.’s 28 contractors are meeting or beating requirements.

Audits are conducted locally as often as once a week and twice a year out of area MoT employees conduct their own. That data is then combined with information from stakeholder meetings.

Among the ways the ministry can improve itself, the report said they should create a more robust set of measuring and reporting practices to gauge their own success.

“In B.C. there have been missed opportunities to invest in the road network, such as during times of economic strength,” said Doyle. “Going forward, I would like to see government demonstrate that its long-term decision making will provide British Columbians with the best value — the longest duration of service for the least amount of money.”

Lorimer said considerations will be made in road planning in the region based on the report.

“There’s recommendations in there that we’re going to look at and see if we can always do things better.”

The report is available off the Auditor General’s website at www.bcauditor.com.