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Flooded path could get temporary relief

Council OKs analysis to find temporary solution to Big Lake access

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The city will do the engineering work to find a temporary solution to allow access to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park through the often-flooded walkway underneath the Ray Gibbon Drive bridge, but it will be up to a local community group to build it.

St. Albert city council passed a motion put forward by Coun. Cam MacKay Monday night for the city to conduct the necessary engineering work to find a temporary, affordable solution to improve access to the pathway beneath the bridge.

MacKay noted that construction of the proposed pedway over Ray Gibbon Drive could be as much as a decade from being built, meaning a temporary solution is necessary to deter individuals from dashing across the highway.

“There are numerous short-term, cost-effective solutions,” MacKay said.

Under his proposal, the city would complete the engineering work, which would then allow groups such as the Big Lake Environmental Support Society (BLESS) to apply for grants to build whatever is necessary.

MacKay said he has discussed several possibilities with the engineering department, one of which includes a telescopic series of platforms pedestrians could use when the path is washed out.

“We’re going to look at all of the potential solutions to see which is most cost-effective and manages the risk for pedestrians,” said Guy Boston, general manager of planning and engineering.

While the pathway does not frequently flood, the length of time in which it remains flooded can last weeks, depending on snow melt and rainfall, which impact the level of the Sturgeon River. Mayor Nolan Crouse, the only person to vote against the motion, pointed out this is a problem common to almost all of St. Albert’s bridges, particularly the Perron Street bridge.

“We’re just focused on this one bridge as opposed to all the other bridges that get flooded.”

Coun. Cathy Heron pointed out it’s the one bridge that has no alternate path, which poses a safety hazard if people decide to cross Ray Gibbon Drive to access the park.

“The price tag is not very high and it promises the BLESS platform is always accessible.”

Boston estimated the engineering analysis would cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. MacKay implied some of the solutions were as little as $40,000, which BLESS has already volunteered to shoulder.

“What the public needs is an engineering analysis and then a group can go out and apply for grants. That’s exactly the opportunity the city has been presented by BLESS.”