In 2024, detailed engineering work was completed to advance a “ready for construction” design to grade and pave Alpine Rd from Sun Peaks Rd to the bridge that crosses Resort Creek to the Sun Peaks Resort Burfield offices. An assessment of this design indicated that it would cost approximately $800,000 to build. The reason for this cost lies not in simply paving Alpine Rd, but in all the construction work required to ensure that the final Alpine Rd product is of sufficient quality and resiliency and meets modern road construction standards. In particular, a large portion of the expected cost involved digging up and replacing the existing road base, which is not an engineered structural base. Another large portion of the cost was related to underground stormwater infrastructure required to ensure that the new road and road base are not subjected to erosion.
This is a significant investment for a small piece of road, and the Municipality currently cannot support that cost. We are looking for grant options that would support the construction of Alpine Rd. Note that we have considered interim solutions such as simply paving over the existing road base, however in the absence of a structural road base and stormwater management infrastructure, that solution will simply not last and would result in ongoing additional costs to the Municipality. In the meantime, we will work to grade and fill potholes as expediently as we can, noting that such work is often weather-dependent.
We are also reviewing the proposed design of Alpine Rd to see if any cost savings can be identified.