Yellowhead Road and Bridge (YRB) says it's received subject to threats, insults and deplorable language from drivers affected by sealcoating that stuck to tires and vehicles on Chief Lake Road earlier this week.
In a social media post today (July 18), YRB Fort George apologized for the situation and the frustrations of those affected.
"We realize what has transpired over the last few days has caused a wide array of issues for our road users and stakeholders," the company said.
"We have been inundated with calls and apologize for not being able to return your inquiries promptly, we have been diligently investigating the cause for the deficiency and doing our best to maintain safe passage through the road in the interim. YRB Fort George and our subcontractors are committed to making the situation right and will keep you updated as the situation progresses."
The company then wrote it's been subject to harassment over the situation and are asking for those calling in to be respectful while it tries to work through the incident.
YRB confirmed to PrinceGeorgeMatters on Thursday that a subcontractor was hired to do the project.
"Additionally, our answering service and office staff have received threats, insults, and deplorable language from callers when they are trying to gather information on our behalf." the statement said.
"Please be respectful when calling in. We understand the frustration with the given circumstances, but common courtesy and respect is expected no matter the situation."
As for insurance claims, companies are trying to work through numerous submissions, coming up with a plan and will be contacting those with damage claims while also suggesting WD-40 should remove tar on vehicles and/or tires.
"If your vehicle needs immediate attention, please make a claim to your insurance provider and retain all info regarding the claim.
"Crews will be on site working today, we are watching the weather to see how the next few days will play out. Traffic control setup may change depending on equipment and personnel required in the work zones."
On Thursday (July 16), drivers voiced their frustrations after driving on freshly laid sealcoating that stuck to tires and vehicle bodies, with many claiming their tires were ruined and beyond repair.
Olivia Allen said she was driving on the road and noticed there was more gravel than usual and her truck was shaking.
"There were rocks hitting my windshield as well," she told PrinceGeorgeMatters.
"We went to the Hart for a walk and my mother noticed a bunch of tar on my tires and suggested I post on the ness lake community page to warn other road users. Not long after that, I received multiple comments about people having the same issues."
Jordan Parker says he was driving to a friend's house and saw the 50 km/h speed limit. He says he doubts he came close to that speed as he was being cautious about rock chips to his car and paint.
"It was on the way out that the road became nearly undrivable," he explained. "There were three or four cars in our string of traffic driving roughly 30 km/h for a few km.
"When we exited the construction zone and gravel came to an end my car began to shake violently, I'd assumed a tire had come off of one of my wheels and chose to pull over and assess the damage. To my surprise there were literally gobs of tar pouring off of my tires, there was nearly an inch caked into the tread."
He said he tried to drive the car, hoping that the tar would come off of his tires, but most of it flew up and landed on the body of his vehicle.
"My brakes were squealing horribly from all of the gravel stuck between the pads and rotors," Parker described.
"I stopped and spoke to several other people to make sure that they were okay and that there wasn't any significant damage to their vehicles as well as my own, I continued on my way home driving no more than 20 km/h with my brakes squealing the whole way. I couldn't turn doing any more than 10 km/h because the car would just start sliding from the tar caked on the tires."
When he got home, Parker says he checked the damage and found his car was full of rock chops and his wheel well liners were torn up. He also suffered a flat tire.
