Oilpatch drivers are warning of dangerous road conditions on a northern Alberta highway and say better maintenance is needed.

But the firm responsible for the upkeep of Highway 881, north of Lac La Biche, blamed conditions on unusual weather.

British Columbia-based firm Emcon Services Inc. took over maintenance of the highway last year.

"I don't know what their problem is up here but they need to do something before people start dying," said Terry Mills, superintendent with Renegade Oil and Gas, based in Conklin.

"Everybody is scared to send their guys on the highway because they're worried about these conditions."

Several motorists told CBC News other area highways are fine compared to Highway 881. Treacherous conditions begin just outside Fort McMurray, stretching south about 300 kilometres before improving 60 kilometres south of Conklin.

Drivers described a nerve-racking journey passing multiple tractor trailers and vehicles in ditches, rollovers, and trucks spun out on the hill outside Conklin.

"They just aren't sanding [the roads]," said Mills. "881, it's always been a deadly highway. You think that would be on their top priority to keep these highways maintained on a regular basis but we haven't seen that this year."

Drivers say they've noticed more trucks in ditches in the past few weeks. (Doug Mills)

Conditions deteriorated two weeks ago when temperatures crept above zero, followed by rain, freezing rain, snow and then plunging temperatures.

"It's really caused a lot of havoc on the 881," said Dave Cairns, general manager of Manatokan Oilfield Services. "Since it's frozen and it stayed like that, it's like an ice skating rink."

Kevin Cutting, Encom's contract manager, insisted the problem is the weather itself.

"There's not a whole lot that you can do with the road when it gets like that," said Cutting. "It's too cold for salt. Sand doesn't stick on there. It blows off with the first big truck that goes over it. Mother Nature's not been nice this year.

"For us to go from minus weather, into a rain and then back to minus 30, is not normal."

Mother Nature's not been nice this year. - Kevin Cutting, Emcon

Cutting said the firm began blading the roads Wednesday morning, the day after CBC's inquiry, to "serrate the ice" so "stuff could stick."

He said blading wasn't introduced sooner because it's not a typical process or part of the contract.

"I brought that to the table very specifically because we had done that in northern British Columbia in past years," Cutting said.

The province awarded the $482-million road maintenance contract to Emcon last year. The controversial move was unsuccessfully challenged by five Alberta companies in court.

The contract previously belonged to Carillion Canada until the bankruptcy of its British multinational company a year ago.

Dave Kenway, supervisor at Dipper Oilfield, said travel has been a nightmare this year as drivers pass plow trucks with the blades up and no sand being dispensed.

Kenway said he understands it's difficult to melt the ice in cold temperatures but "they never got a grip on it from the start."

"They weren't prepared when this weather hit," he said. "It just ended up snowballing."

Non-traditional methods

"Exceptionally challenging weather conditions" across northern Alberta have made snow removal and ice control difficult for highway ​maintenance contractors, said John Archer, press secretary to transportation minister Brian Mason, in an email.

Initially, said Archer, crews reacted with traditional methods such as sanding and salting but non-traditional methods are now being employed, including using underbody blades to groove ice and packed snow.

"With warmer temperatures in the forecast next week, and continued applications of salt and de-icing materials to remove ice buildup winter driving conditions are expected to improve," wrote Archer.

Conditions on Highway 881 deteriorated about two weeks ago with mild temperatures followed by freezing rain and extreme cold. (Doug Mills)

andrea.huncar@cbc.ca

@andreahuncar