A new bridge is being planned to replace the drainage culverts at the 8th Street crossing of Dawson Creek, announced MLA for Peace River South Mike Bernier, on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone.

“This is great news that a new bridge will be built at this site on 8th Street, which was affected by last year’s flooding,” Bernier said. “Those of us who live and work in Dawson Creek depend on this road on a daily basis, and a permanent solution for this crossing will be a significant improvement, helping to minimize damage from any future flooding, and increase the safety and reliability of this busy road.”

Engineering assessments were started over the winter to determine an appropriate replacement for the drainage culverts, which were overwhelmed and damaged during the 2016 flooding. This included site assessments, such as geotechnical, hydrotechnical, environmental and archaeological reviews. The result of these reviews has determined that a bridge is required to accommodate the water flows that were experienced last year.

Design work on the new bridge is underway and will be ongoing throughout this year.

On June 15 and 16, 2016, a massive storm surge passed through the Peace District resulting in over 120 millimetres of rain in a 72-hour period. This, combined with heavy snow run-off at higher elevations, caused extensive damage to roads and highways in the region.

Ministry crews and contractors have been working since then to repair roads and open up highways in the area. All roads are open to traffic, with permanent repairs to several sites ongoing. In total, the Province has already invested $27 million for repairs.

As part of over $80 million for emergency preparedness investments announced on March 15, 2017, the Province is also investing over $60 million provincewide in flood protection. This includes $300,000 in funding for flood-risk assessment, floodplain mapping and flood mitigation planning, with $150,000 each going to the communities of Chetwynd and Dawson Creek.

In addition, as part of $2.13 million provided to the Fraser Basin Council, $1 million will benefit the region through the development of an inventory and engineering assessment of all orphan or unmanaged dikes in British Columbia.

This assessment will evaluate the structural conditions of the dikes and determine the cost to upgrade the dikes to provincial standard and to acquire at-risk properties. The goal of this project is to assess the risks to local communities and to help facilitate the transfer of diking authority to local governments.