RHVP project manager says he didn’t pay attention to friction test results

Maroc Oddi was the Senior Project Manager for the Red Hill Valley Parkway and testified today that he didn’t pay attention to friction testing being conducted on the Red Hill in 2013 and wasn’t curious about the results of the tests either.

“Friction is not something I think about when I’m building roads or designing them,” Oddi said.

The Red Hill Valley Parkway inquiry is being held to understand how and why a 2013 city staff report on the safety of the road was allegedly buried for 6 years. The report showed the road was slipperier than it should be.

This review is costing the city millions more than expected. About $18 million has been spent on the probe so far. $7 million was originally put aside in 2019. Mayor Fred Eisenberger told CHCH News that he regrets the inquiry and how costly it has become.

Much more money will likely be spent before the review is over, the cost could balloon to $28 million by the end of the probe.

The city’s lawyer told councillors on Monday that there was never a true sense of how much talk or how many motions would happen during the course of the review, all of which cost money.

The inquiry continues tomorrow but then will break again until the end of this month.