The construction of a new bridge over Hummingbird Creek is expected to begin before next year’s freshet.
At a public information meeting held Oct. 3 in Swansea Point, representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure revealed preliminary designs for a $3 million project that will see the bridge’s construction along Highway 97A. The bridge will replace the existing culvert – something residents have been calling for years.
Swansea Point Community Association president Dan Keely says the new bridge will be about 15 metres in length between its main supports, which will allow water to flow up to 1.5 metres underneath. He says the bridge will also include a left turn lane to access Swansea Point Road.
“We’re extremely happy with the bridge, especially with a turning lane…,” said Keely, adding there’s still some concern with the bridge’s design, particularly the five-foot high clearance for the creek.
“We currently have a six-foot culvert in there,” said Keely. “But, as he pointed out, it’s going to be much wider, almost three times as wide, so any debris and rocks should be able to flow clearly under it.”
“If anything gets jammed they say they’ll be here in moments – well, wait and see if that happens – and they’ll use a special excavator to get under the bridge from the deck of the bridge to pull out anything that gets jammed in there.”
B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone visited Swansea Point in August to announce the province would be constructing the bridge. He explained an engineering report, contracted to Golder and Associates following the destructive debris flow and flooding of June 2012, identified the culvert as not meeting ministry requirements for flow capacity. Prior to this, the ministry’s position, expressed to Swansea Point at a public meeting in February, was that the culvert was in good condition and the creek could handle a one-in-200 year flooding event based on “clear flow” modelling.
“I am not saying there’s going to be a bridge built, or there’s going to be anything more done than that,” explained MOTI district Manager Murray Tekano at that time. “But we are looking at more options that we can do. And at some point that culvert will need to be replaced; it’s not going to last.”
Keely says the creek itself remains a concern for Swansea Point residents, some of whom would like to see it dug down two to three feet along the whole creek bed.
“They talked a little bit about the creek but not a lot,” said Keely. “They said they’re here to announce what is happening with the bridge more than anything, But they said they are looking at the creek and they’ll do whatever is necessary to correct the problems that are in it.”
Work on the new bridge is expected to begin in late February, early March. The province will be putting a Bailey Bridge in as a bypass – similar to what was used in 2 Mile during the repair of Sicamous Creek.
Keely notes a side effect of the 2012 flooding and subsequent restructuring of the creek has been a change to the water table, which is now causing some basements to flood.
“So I don’t know, people will either have to live with it or sell and move I guess. That’s easy for me to say, I’m on high ground,” said Keely.
