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Highline Road users in limbo

Residents, travellers hopeful road maintenance issues can be resolved as part of Heartland program Although the issue of who is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the Highline Road, connecting D’Arcy to Seton Portage, has been up in the

Residents, travellers hopeful road maintenance issues can be resolved as part of Heartland program

Although the issue of who is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the Highline Road, connecting D’Arcy to Seton Portage, has been up in the air for many years, recent developments have prompted residents and users to press for someone – anyone – to take responsibility.

The first development was B.C. Rail’s decision to cut passenger service along the rail line from North Vancouver to 100 Mile House in October 2002. In the process they cut the mail service and forced seasonal residents to drive the road, which hugs the western shore of Anderson Lake.

The second development is the collapse of the bridge over McGillivoary Creek in September 2002. The bridge was already deteriorating and residents and government agencies were discussing the bridge and the road when a piece of heavy machinery under contract from B.C. Hydro – one of the most frequent government agencies to use the road – fell through. It has not been repaired, and because it is no longer a through route, routine road grading has stopped and the road is getting worse by the day.

There is hope however. In his Heartlands Economic Strategy, introduced Feb. 12, Premier Gordon Campbell announced up to $210 million in additional funding over the next few years for rural and resource roads.

"We’d sure like to see a little of that," said Mike Morley, the chairman of the Ponderosa strata community and one of the few permanent residents living along the road.

Ponderosa has 26 properties on approximately 400 hectares of land on the shores of Anderson Lake.

According to Morley, he attended a meeting in the fall that included members of the Seton Portage District Chamber of Commerce, the Kamloops Regional District, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Water B.C. and B.C. Hydro to discuss the future of the road.

While none of the agencies involved would take responsibility for the road – thereby assuming the responsibility for maintenance and insurance – the Ministry of Forests sold the residents a $50,000 bridge, that is sitting in a work yard in Lillooet, for one dollar.

Morley says it will cost more to bring the bridge to the area, plus about $20,000 to put in new footings. As for labour, residents in Ponderosa and the nearby community of McGillivoray Falls, which has about 40 properties, would be willing to provide free labour for the project.

"We expected B.C. Hydro to replace the bridge because of all the government users, B.C. Hydro is up here the most working on the powerlines, but they decided that they’ve done enough and were happy to use helicopters and other means to access the powerlines," said Morley.

"Which doesn’t make any sense. There is millions, maybe hundreds of millions (of dollars) in infrastructure up here, and it’s all accessible by the road using this bridge. Twenty thousand dollars."

According to Morley the road is well-used, especially during the summer months. Frequent users include residents, tourists, First Nations, B.C. Hydro, B.C. Rail, and, to a lesser extent, the Ministry of Forests.

Morley feels the road is reasonable to drive with a mix of single and dual lanes, and is in good shape when it is maintained. It’s also a convenient route – the trip from the south end of Anderson Lake at D’Arcy to the north end at Seton Portage is about an hour, while the round trip back down to Pemberton and around to Lillooet via the Duffey Lake Road takes almost four hours. You also have to drive over Mission Mountain, which is approximately 5,500 feet high and is prone to snow storms.

Although the road has a lot of history, and is important for regional recreation, tourism and industry, Morley also feel that there are safety issues to consider.

The area has been in about a five-year drought and fires have become more frequent, including the blaze last summer that threatened the town of Seton Portage.

"Certainly a lot can be done to fight fires by air, but the road could play a very important role in managing fires in the area," Morley said.

"There are also a fair number of people up here during the summer, and if the road was unusable, either because of a landslide or a fire, the only way out really is the lake."

Another resident of Ponderosa is in his 80s and depended on the rail for food deliveries. B.C. Rail still delivers the food, but Morley believes the current situation effectively cuts access to health services for people living along the road and in Seton Portage.

Charley Derban, a member of the Seton Portage District Chamber of Commerce, was part of a study in 2000 to see how many people were using the road on a regular basis. They determined that more than 1,000 vehicles were using the road every month, averaged out over spring and summer, and that the number of users was growing. While the road does get snow occasionally, the road is open for most of the winter.

Although the local tourism industry was limited, he says it is almost non-existent since B.C. Rail ended its passenger service and the bridge went out.

"It’s not down, it’s damn near stopped," he said.

As a Vancouver resident who commutes to Seton Portage, Derban says the trip has grown from a three-and-a-half hour jaunt to a six-and-a-half hour ordeal.

Although no government agency wants to accept responsibility for the road, the Chamber of Commerce is working with stakeholders and the Kamloops Regional District to create a new classification for the road.

"It’s a vitally important road for the area. The only other way in, over Mission Mountain, is not safe a lot of the time," said Derban. "This road is the best way in and out, and the people here are really pushing for it."