Crews are about to start work on Township Road 711 where it crosses Spring Creek. County of Grande Prairie Public Works Director Dale Van Volkingburgh says the first phase of road reconstruction following heavy rains will begin on October 10th.
“The work that we’re starting to do is to remove a bunch of the soil above the bridge-file culvert and take pressure off where the slide is so that we don’t compromise the spring drainage flows.”
The bridge and a portion of Township Road 711 have been closed since August 7th after heavy rain at the end of July caused a slumping slope, making the road and bridge unstable.
The first phase of work is expected to take two weeks to complete if the weather cooperates. The road will then be open to traffic during the winter and reclosed next year for phase two of the project.
“Next summer we’ll excavate the bridge-file culvert out and replace that and then rebuild the grade all the way back up,” Van Volkingburgh says.
During repairs, drivers are asked to use Range Road 73 and Township Road 710 to access Range Road 72, or Range Road 71 to access Township Road 712. Heavy traffic is asked to avoid the area by using Highway 40 and Highway 43.
An exact date for phase two taking place next year has not been set yet. County council has approved $5 million for the tender to complete the repair work.