Several Langley roads damaged by storms in early February are now open again, but repairs on a few others might last until late summer.
A storm at the end of January, stretching into Feb. 1, dumped about 130 mm of rain on Langley in 72 hours, washing out several roads and culverts.
As of this week, the most heavily-used of the roads have been repaired, but two are still to be restored.
• 252A Crescent over West Creek, between 254th Street and 72nd Avenue, remains closed, said Aaron Ruhl, Langley Township’s manager of engineering and construction services.
• Also closed is the driveway to West Langley Hall, which dipped down towards West Munday Creek off 208th Street.
READ MORE: Heavy rain and mudslides force road closures in Langley
Also damaged, but now open, are River Road near 252nd Street, where a landslide from an escarpment closed the road for a few days, and 240th Street south of Rawlison Crescent, which was re-opened in the last week of March.
Both of those sites involved damaged culverts in ravines.
The 252A Crescent site saw the river erode around the metal culvert and under the road base. Meanwhile, the West Langley Hall driveway also had its culvert damaged.
“We’re working on temporary measures to open it to single-lane alternating traffic,” said Ruhl.
The other site, because of the closures of local community halls and parks due to COVID-19, isn’t as high a priority.
Crews were still at work this week removing debris from the West Langley Hall site, Ruhl said.
READ MORE: Storm damaged roads in Langley could cost millions
In the wake of the storm, damage was estimated at about $5.5 million, and the Township was planning to apply to the provincial government for a disaster relief fund that can cover up to 80 per cent of such repair work.
It’s unclear when major work to rebuild both sites will commence. It could start soon if it is classified as an emergency, or it might have to wait for the “fisheries window” in August and September.
That’s when stream levels are low and salmon and other fish are at least risk from construction.
