Defective pavement discovered on Penticton’s Main Street

PENTICTON – Work crews will be returning to one of the city’s first capital projects of the year, which was just completed in May, after discovering an issue with the asphalt.

Quality control testing of the new asphalt recently installed on Main Street, which was done in conjunction with the rebuilding project on Industrial Avenue, has revealed a problem with the quality of the blacktop. Checks revealed the pavement’s oil content didn’t meet the required standard. The oil content was high enough that it would eventually cause the road surface to move and create ruts.

Currently the defective material is limited to the southbound lanes of Main Street, but further testing is underway to confirm the quality of the rest of the project.

In a release issued last week the city noted issues with new pavement is unusual, but the contractor has committed to repairing the problem as soon as possible.

“It’s an uncommon situation, but the city is doing additional testing to ensure the quality of all the completed work,” Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais said in an email.

Work is scheduled to remove and replace the substandard asphalt from the southbound lanes of Main Street on Wed. June 24, beginning at 5 a.m.

All costs for removal, replacement of the pavement and repainting will be borne by the contractor.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the issue should contact the city engineering department at 250-490-2521.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.