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Brain Drain

Posted 7/16/2012 4:59:00 AM

Last Thursday I came to work just after three in the morning by driving the Whitemud Freeway, in the course of which I passed 111^th street. It was raining hard but the drains in that underpass were handling it. There was no standing water. An hour and a half later, J’Lyn Nye came to work, holding her cell phone with a video of the flooding. Why does that underpass and other areas flood when we have a severe storm? Did the people who designed it not know we have severe storms, especially at this time of the year? This not the first time it’s flooded and I doubt it’ll be the last. Why do we not have adequate drainage? Why do drivers have to get their cars ruined? Why do we have to tie up city resources to barricade the area and do water rescues? Why didn’t we just build it properly in the first place? Will it be the old excuse about how you can’t plan for every eventuality? We can plan for this one. We know it’s going to happen. Will they fix it, or will they just tell you to keep your insurance company’s phone number on speed dial? Let me know what you think.

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Posted By: Bob Layton

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David W. Lincoln posted on 07/16/2012 10:05 AM
It seems to me the designers and approvers were in over their heads when it comes to glitches like this.

As for what is to be done, as long as people conclude it is better to have jobs here, than the flaws, the cost for repairs will be borne by more people, rather than fewer people.
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Martha posted on 07/16/2012 11:53 AM
Sunday afternoon at about 1:00 pm I was driving home on HWY 16 east bound. I noticed 2 RCMP vehicles catching speeders just past the Calahoo turnoff. Very shortly thereafter, I came upon the massive lineup of traffic caused by the washout between Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. Fortunately, I was able to take the exit off 16 and into Stony Plain. At that point, I wondered why the RCMP were busy giving out speeding tickets when they should have been diverting traffic off of the highway at the Stony Plain exit. I can well imagine how long some of those people had to sit in their vehicles, waiting for traffic to move. I was certainly not impressed and this, at a time when the RCMP is having issues with their public image.

Martha
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Lynne Barnett posted on 07/16/2012 06:50 PM
Well, Bob, ask Mike Holmes says, 'DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!" Cutting corners in design to save money will only cost far more money in the long term. The flooding in underpasses must bring in extra manpower, pumps, barricades, and costs insurance companies millions of dollars. There's an idea, Bob.....LET'S HIRE MIKE HOLMES!!!!!
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Hank posted on 07/16/2012 06:55 PM
This drainage is a case of how committed engineering is to the durability of a design. It was okay to say after the 2004 flood that this was "a 1 in a 100 year event" and stand by the workmanship.

Well, it's 2012 and it's happened again. This makes it a TWO in 100 year event and the century is barely a decade old. Now it's time to re-think this and hold someone accountable. And you have to hit 'em in the wallet to do it.

If people can fail and still get paid, there's no incentive to change or do better.
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