Concerns have been raised at qathet Regional District’s (qRD) committee of the whole about the beach access path at Sturt Road.
At the November 27 committee of the whole meeting, Electoral Area A director Jason Lennox said there has been action on identification of potential safety issues at the beach access that was raised in correspondence from Larry Johnson. Lennox said he had spoken with qRD operations manager Patrick Devereaux, who was already aware of the situation. Lennox said he has also spoken with a ministry of transportation and infrastructure representative.
“Mr. Johnson identified some significant safety concerns and they are hopefully being addressed by the right folks,” said Lennox.
Electoral Area D director and committee chair Sandy McCormick asked if the Sturt Road access was a regional district site. Lennox said it is.
Devereaux said the Highway 101 widening that occurred this past summer pushed the shoulders out from the highway and steepened the access, which is an official beach access of the qRD.
“The ministry of transportation and infrastructure is aware of this and they are working on making improvements so that it is safe for the public to use,” said Devereaux. “Once that is completely done, I will let the directors know. My understanding is that they are going to stretch out the shoulder down the path to take out the steepness and even up the grade. I am not exactly sure about the details.”
The discussion at the committee of the whole meeting was precipitated by the correspondence from Johnson, who stated it was his strongly held belief that the Sturt Road pathway should be permanently closed, partly due to the Highway 101 upgrade project. He stated that there is no safe parking for vehicles on the highway and that the grade of the beach access path, where it meets Highway 101, is too steep for safe pedestrian access and is exceptionally slippery.
“This steepness has been exacerbated by the recent repaving project along this section of Highway 101,” stated Johnson. “As a result, the work crew has placed a temporary closure tape at this location. This should be made permanent.”
Johnson added that there is a nearby beach access trail a short distance away from the foot of Southview Road, which has safe parking off the highway and is much more accessible, with a gentle grade that is well built and maintained.
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