Permanent repairs to the sinkhole on Hwy. 19 in Lantzville are set to begin early July, with the most intense work occurring during overnight hours in August. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

ROAD REPAIRS

Work getting underway to permanently repair site of Lantzville sinkhole

Jun 28, 2022 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — Drivers can expect some slower highway trips through Lantzville beginning in the coming weeks.

Running through mid-September, work crews will be on site along Hwy. 19 to upgrade and increase the size of a culvert underneath the highway, just north of Superior Rd.

It was the site of a car-sized sinkhole emerging on Nov. 18, 2021, which forced a multi-day closure of the main link between Nanaimo and Parksville.

“Works will include an enclosed culvert system which will reduce the drainage velocity and erosion. Work is expected to begin shortly after the Canada Day long weekend,” Angie Allwood, acting district manager with the ministry of transportation and infrastructure, said.

The initial phase of work, preparing the site, is not expected to disrupt traffic outside of a 60 kilometre per hour speed adjustment through the construction zone.

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A second phase will involve replacing the infrastructure under the highway itself.

“During this work to replace the culvert, likely from late August to mid September, the works will only be taking place between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. During this time, one lane will be closed in each direction,” Allwood told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Closure of the highway in November 2021 saw extensive delays, particularly for southbound traffic.

Detours were setup through Lantzville to bypass the section of the highway, turning at Superior Rd. and rejoining by the Shell gas station.

Drivers reported trips from Parksville to Nanaimo were taking upwards of five hours the day after the sink hole emerged.

It’s the first of a few major projects in the north Nanaimo-Lantzville region involving the highway.

Crews will begin a major resurfacing project on Hwy. 19A between Turner Rd. and Mary Ellen Dr. in August.

“(The project) includes base repairs and resurfacing,” a statement from the ministry noted. “Median areas will be removed and replaced with median barriers to improve safety and capacity of left-turn lanes.”

The expected completion for this project is also mid-September however a schedule is still being developed.

Work will take place at night, similar to an upgrade to the same highway in 2020, with a single lane of traffic open for each direction between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Speed limits will drop to 50 kilometres per hour during work periods.

Resurfacing work is slated to begin later this summer on a stretch of Hwy. 19A between Turner Rd. and Mary Ellen Dr. (Google Maps)

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