The bridge over Shoal Creek on Range Road 21 north of Township Road 614 is permanently closed after Westlock County officials deemed it unsafe.
Chief administrative officer Leo Ludwig said the cost of replacing the span is still being determined, though he estimated the cost will be in excess of $1 million.
“It would be a pretty small bridge to be less than a million dollars,” he said, adding they’ve yet to determine if they’ll put in a temporary bridge, or construct some other means of crossing the creek.
The municipality has been working to assess the damage from the overland flooding that prompted the municipality to declare a State of Local Emergency from April 23-30. Ludwig said all other roads and bridges are open, though a few roads have sections still cordoned off.
“We’re down to less than a handful that have not been fully opened,” he said. “There is very little left that is not passable at this point.”
He added that the province had not said if it will cover the costs for the flood damage, though he noted they’re not alone in dealing with overland flooding so it’s still early in the process.
Ludwig also pointed out that they’ll need to know how much the repairs will cost before making application for funding.
“We don’t know whether that’s going to be something we’re going to get assistance to cover or whether we’ll have to eat it all ourselves,” he said. “We’re sure hoping that there’s a program announced. Flooding happened right down to the southern border.”
Over 50 county roads and bridges were affected by the flood.
Frost boils popping up
Reeve Lou Hall emphasized that even though roads and bridges are open, drivers should continue to use caution, noting that now that winter is over they’re dealing with frost boils.
“People need to realize that most roads require caution, because there’s a lot of frost boils causing issues on the roads,” she said. “They’re working on them, but it’s slow because they have to work on them properly.”
Director of infrastructure Al Scott explained that frost boils occur in spring when the soil is saturated with water. Weight from traffic displaces the underground water pockets, pushing soil up.
Compounding the problem is the weight of graders and other equipment which only makes the boils grow. Scott said they need to let the soil dry out before the boils can be pushed back down and the roads can be gravelled. In extreme cases, they may excavate the road to remove the saturated soil, but Scott said that’s not ideal.
Instead, he advised residents to fill out customer service requests (CSR) when they come across frost boils the county has an idea where to send graders when the time comes to fix them.
“People are still free to call the office as well. A CSR is registered when a call is made,” he said. “However, CSRs sent from the website go to public works immediately.”
