Detour on Highway 619 to improve road integrity southeast of Vermilion

Alberta Transportation began work on Highway 619 this Monday with a road maintenance project including pile wall construction.

The detour has traffic re-routed onto Range Road 54 to Township Road 492 and onto Range Road 62.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience. The detour adds a few miles to your route but we had to accommodate highways so they can keep 619 safe,” said Darrel Denis, Public Works Operations Manager for the County of Vermilion River.

The detour is on county roads, but as a highway, it is a provincial project. The project began on March 8, and is expected to last throughout the week, but will not be a long-term detour.

Construction is not to do with the road’s surface, but installing a pile wall underneath as part of maintenance repairs.

“They are using pile wall construction to help mitigate a sliding issue and re-establish the integrity of the road,” said Tim Guenther, Alberta Transportation’s Acting Operations Manager for the Vermilion District.

“Using the pile wall construction will hold back and stop the slide that is there. It can also prevent future slides and reduce maintenance costs in the future.”