98 Mile Road Privately owned road section

[Bear Chaser]

I’m familiar with the M98 road, having driven all 39km’s of it probably at least 400 times personally and in a professional capacity for work. There are zero sections of that road that are privately owned. There is a legal right of way for its entirety. The land at 5-6km is privately held property on each side of the road but the road itself is not privately owned. I believe (and I could be incorrect onthis aspect now as its been a year or so since I’ve dealt with road use there) but I think CNRL holds the road permit for the road.

That said, the land owner there IS difficult to deal with and has a beef with industrial traffic driving “too fast and making dust” for several years and I can remember at least two instances of them illegally blocking industrial traffic where the RCMP were called and they had the road block taken down within an hour or two. I seem to also recall at least one instance where tensions were heated during the block, and the RCMP attended very promptly but I don’t recall if there were charges involved or not, and I want to say that log trucks were being let through but tankers were being stopped with an excavator. I don’t completely remember what happened there as my guys were being let through but it was a cluster because the road is pretty narrow and has soft shoulders and there isn’t many places to pass two heavies if it isn’t right at a pullout.

Fairly certain I myself wouldn’t be hunting the fringes of that private property too closely.

No one can stop you from driving on it, no one can stop you from traveling along it.

It sounds to me like the OP was referring to a road that veers off the main 98 road and travels through the private land. That road used to connect up with other roads coming in from the Birch field. There may have been permission granted in the past for resource traffic to use that road through the private land. I came through there once from the north end twenty plus years ago heading home from work in the Birch field.

[RJHunter]

CNRL and CANFOR both have active road permits across the parcels there and I don't believe the land owner is allowed to restrict public travel. I have been through there many times as well without problem.

[KodiakHntr]

It sounds to me like the OP was referring to a road that veers off the main 98 road and travels through the private land. That road used to connect up with other roads coming in from the Birch field. There may have been permission granted in the past for resource traffic to use that road through the private land. I came through there once from the north end twenty plus years ago heading home from work in the Birch field.

And if that is the road in question, the bottom kilometer of the Birch where it comes on at 5 and a bit on the 98, then yep, private as per the great big ass billboard that says stay the hell out, private land private road.

[browningboy]

Where did you get this info from and which locals are you talking about?

The locals would be residents from Loon Lake mainly and the info was public years ago, was on the Loon Lake Facebook Page, posted at the beginning of the ranch road etc... I'm sure you can find info easily enough with Google.

[RJHunter]

CNRL and CANFOR both have active road permits across the parcels there and I don't believe the land owner is allowed to restrict public travel. I have been through there many times as well without problem.

I have not travelled the Birch access road (Whiplash) in many years years but haven't had any problems passing through on the 98.

[Sitkaspruce]

I’m familiar with the M98 road, having driven all 39km’s of it probably at least 400 times personally and in a professional capacity for work. There are zero sections of that road that are privately owned. There is a legal right of way for its entirety. The land at 5-6km is privately held property on each side of the road but the road itself is not privately owned. I believe (and I could be incorrect onthis aspect now as its been a year or so since I’ve dealt with road use there) but I think CNRL holds the road permit for the road.

That said, the land owner there IS difficult to deal with and has a beef with industrial traffic driving “too fast and making dust” for several years and I can remember at least two instances of them illegally blocking industrial traffic where the RCMP were called and they had the road block taken down within an hour or two. I seem to also recall at least one instance where tensions were heated during the block, and the RCMP attended very promptly but I don’t recall if there were charges involved or not, and I want to say that log trucks were being let through but tankers were being stopped with an excavator. I don’t completely remember what happened there as my guys were being let through but it was a cluster because the road is pretty narrow and has soft shoulders and there isn’t many places to pass two heavies if it isn’t right at a pullout.

Fairly certain I myself wouldn’t be hunting the fringes of that private property too closely.

No one can stop you from driving on it, no one can stop you from traveling along it.

It sounds to me like the OP was referring to a road that veers off the main 98 road and travels through the private land. That road used to connect up with other roads coming in from the Birch field. There may have been permission granted in the past for resource traffic to use that road through the private land. I came through there once from the north end twenty plus years ago heading home from work in the Birch field.

I my work capacity I have had to deal with this section of road a few times. As Kodiak says, the 98 mile road is a public road and has an easement through the property and is a public road maintained by CNRL. Never heard of any issues with the public crossing it.

The Whiplash, on the other hand, is a different story. When the old owner owned it, there was an easement through to the Birch field. When it was sold to the new owner, the easement was not on the maps that were included in the sale, so the new owner had his lawyer look in to it and decided that the road was private. Both Canfor and the CNRL had tenure on the road in RP's. The new land owner was concerned about the industry traffic and the speed they drive by the residents homes and the children that play on the road. The Government would not push the issue when he gated the road at both ends, so the road is now private.

Cheers

SS

[Bear Chaser]

Thanks SS.
That’s what I thought may have happened.