Arlo was having trouble moving his big ranch equipment safely through the narrow gravel road in front of his cattle ranch. His primary concern was that neighbours had planted grapes too close to the road, but there were other problems too. He was concerned about a sharp corner at an intersection, potholes and parked cars on the road.

When Arlo contacted the ministry, transportation officials visited the site and agreed to look into a possible resolution. Several months then passed without word from the ministry. Arlo came to us wondering if the ministry was going to live up to its promise.

Our investigation determined that the ministry had concluded reasonably that widening the road was not warranted. However, the ministry was prepared to consider other options. We discussed possibilities with the ministry and the timelines within which they could be completed. To address the problems Arlo identified, the ministry asked Arlo’s neighbour to discourage staff and others from parking on the narrow road, asked two utility companies to move structures at the intersection, and installed a culvert and turnaround in a section of the road.

Arlo was happy with the ministry’s work. The road could now accommodate his ranch equipment safely.