Work began in early January to repair the Highway 8 bridge over the Elbow River that was damaged by last June’s flooding disaster.
About 100 metres of bank protection along the east abutment of the highway and the bridge was washed away by flood waters, exposing the foundation.
Rocky View County (RVC) reeve and Elbow Valley councillor Margaret Bahcheli said “it’s great to see the work getting underway and it’s even better the work is being done in anticipation of the spring so that people’s concerns are alleviated.”
“The bridge is a key connector. We (Elbow Valley) have 800-plus houses in the immediate area that use that bridge, plus the Bragg Creek traffic coming in to the city as well as inter-provincial traffic,” said Bahcheli. “So it’s an important bridge to protect.”
Following the flood, contractors made temporary repairs to stabilize the bridge and protect against further damage.
The bridge has remained open since just after the flood.
The province will spend $800,000 to strengthen the east abutment using about 2,100 cubic metres of rock. Officials say the project is expected to be completed this winter to ensure the bridge crossing is protected against melting snow and spring run-off.
The bridge will remain open during the construction period, however, motorists are being reminded that speed limits are reduced in the work zone and fines for speeding double when crews are present.
The project is part of the provincial government’s $1 billion flood recovery package that was announced June 24, 2013.
