MINAKI, Ont. — Vehicle owners have more than chips on their shoulders thanks to damages caused by stones left over from resurfacing crews working near here.

With over 29 windshields and 30 tires in need of repair since construction crews started resurfacing the 18-km stretch of Hwy. 596 in mid-August, folks starting to ask about compensation.

According to Gordon Gombloa, district engineer for the Ministry of Transportation office in Thunder Bay, claims for damage caused by the resurfacing can be submitted to his office for possible compensation.

Claims must be in writing and should provide as much information as possible, such as the location, time, circumstances and estimated cost of the damage.

The claims are investigated by the department and should be processed in a two-week period from the time of arrival, Gombloa adds. He also defends the fact stones were left at the site of the project in question.

In the case of 596, also known as the Minacki Highway, the surface treatment is a oil application followed by a surfacing of sand and stone that requires about 72 hours to cure. Gombloa explains the excess stones cannot be swept away because there is a possibility the work could be damaged.