Reserve fund to pay for road repair

City council voted Monday night to pull $1.8 million out of a reserve fund to get a jump on repairs to the Willowcale Road at Haggith Creek.

The original intention was to secure a loan from the Municipal Finance Authority but slower-than-normal processing times with the Inspector of Municipalities has raised concern the work won’t be done before freeze up.

That, combined with the road’s rapidlydeteriorating condition, convinced council to change the source to an internal fund.

The city’s engineering and public works department had identified concerns with the culvert and fill slope about four years ago and a consultant was retained to investigate and prepare options in 2013, according to a staff report.

But there had been no reports of the road fill sloughing until late February.

Rain and freeze-thaw action have been seen as possible causes.

The repair work project is in the design stage. Staff are looking at three options for replacement of a failed culvert at the site, which has remained at single-lane alternating since February.