The new culvert installed at the Rocky Creek dip (Submitted photo)

The new culvert installed at the Rocky Creek dip (Submitted photo)

Town progresses toward reopening the road at 4th Avenue and Rocky Creek

Work on the new culvert at 4th Avenue and Rocky Creek is getting closer to completion

  • Oct. 7, 2019 12:00 a.m.

Work on the new culvert at 4th Avenue and Rocky Creek is getting closer to completion.

In a press release, the Town said groundwork, construction of the foundation and headwalls, as well as the installation of the new culvert have been completed. They will now work toward reopening the road.

In October 2018 work was done to strengthen the road after a section of it collapsed. While work was being done, a gas line was ruptured, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.

The new culvert is more than double the size of the previous structure, and has greater capacity to support increased water flows and fallen debris that can impact the normal course of the stream channel.

RELATED: Construction to start on 4th Avenue crossing at Rocky Creek

These significant improvements to the supportive structures will help to mitigate erosion which, in part, led to the failure of the previous culvert.

The Town started work on June 15 to complete the project within the provincial fisheries window, which was extended this year to October 11.

During the construction, the Churchill-McKinley traffic detour has remained open and the Town has used dust control measures to limit the impact on the surrounding community.

The Town also recently built a walkway for pedestrians along the McKinley-Churchill access route for increased safety.

The upcoming weeks will be a busy time as the contractor works to complete key tasks within the extended fisheries window.

Ongoing and future work includes backfill and stream restoration, reinstating utilities, as well as rebuilding the road and sidewalk.

Ladysmith Chronicle