Re: Sylvia Piche's letter “Sturgeon County needs paved roads” (Gazette, Dec. 28).
Sturgeon County is far from the only county in Alberta that has a large number of gravel/dirt roads. Although it would be great if those roads could be paved – or at the very least upgraded to a decent gravel surface – it's not financially feasible. Unless, of course, you are willing to accept a substantial increase in taxes. It's far cheaper to have a grader smooth out the road, than it is to maintain a paved (even if it's just chip seal) road. Especially, if there is any heavy truck traffic on it.
Given the rural nature of the majority of the county, it doesn't make any sense to pave routes that see very little traffic over the course of a year, much of which is farm traffic. Closer to urban centers, it's obviously going to be situation dependent.
The decision whether or not will always be based on two things: Traffic volume and cost.
Kirsten Anderson, Kamloops, B.C.
