Point roads to get overhauled

Point Roberts drivers will have to make their way around a few detours and road crews this summer but by fall almost every mile of road on the Point will have a new coat of asphalt or chipseal. “We’ll be spending over a million dollars on roadwork up there this summer,” said county road engineer Joe Rutan.

Crews will start with asphalt pre-leveling on major roads in May. “You know how rough Boundary Bay Road is getting,” said Dan Bakke, assistant superintendent of maintenance and operations with Whatcom County public works. “You take out the rough spots first then come along with the chipseal.” He expects chip sealing to start in mid-July.

Areas with through gravel roads, such as the Shady Glen subdivision and some of the province streets, will be converted to chipseal. “There will be chipseal on almost all the roads on the Point this year,” Bakke said.

In high density areas like Maple Beach and Crystal Water Beach the chipseal streets will be replaced with a nice smooth asphalt finish. “In those densely populated areas it's more convenient and the public is more satisfied with the finish,” Bakke said.

Rutan said crews would also try and identify and correct any drainage problems.

While there will need to be some road closures to get the job done Bakke said he didn’t foresee major traffic disruption. “There will be temporary daily closures, maybe an hour or two, and there will be detours for that,” he said. Bakke added they would work to keep the public informed about where the work would be, through press releases, public meetings and informational signs around town.

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