FIXING TRAILS IN FISH CREEK
CREWS REPAIRING BATTERED PATHWAYS
We’re doing further planning at a number of these locations.
JOEY YOUNG
Ongoing efforts to restore one of Calgary’s most beloved parks ravaged by roaring flood waters last June will now shift from cleanup to major repair work of the park’s still-battered network of pathways and bridges.
Flash flooding last spring tore through Fish Creek Provincial Park, blanketing the well-used park with debris, washing out close to 15 kilometres of pathway, eroding riverbanks and crippling several bridges.
Over the past 12 months, crews have removed piles of debris, such as fallen trees, portions of houses and barbecue propane tanks, from the park.
Tons of Class 3 rip-rap were hauled in to reinforce vulnerable riverbanks and bridge abutments.
Still, several bridges, paths and day-use areas — many of which sit on low-lying land prone to high water events — remain cordoned off while provincial parks officials and engineers rethink whether to rebuild on the same location.
“We’re doing some further planning at a number of these locations,” said Joey Young, senior parks planner for the Kananaskis region.
“I think we’ll be doing that over the next fall, and hopefully for next year we’ll have re-established a number of the day sites for folks,” Young said.
About $16 million has been allocated to repair the 1,355-hectare park in the city’s south end.
While the park provides a respite from the hustle of city life, its web of pathways and bridges provides a peaceful corridor for commuter cyclists.
“We get a lot of use in this park from the adjacent communities (and) access is one of the biggest keys to that,” Young said.
That access has been limited, however, at key points, such as the city-owned Sue Higgins Bridge (named after the recently deceased city alderman), which remains closed to the public.
Young said park staff is working closely with the City of Calgary on the design of the bridge and abutments to better withstand future flooding.
“It’s a very important piece of infrastructure and there’s a lot of desire to get that moving as soon as possible,” said Young.
Riverbanks at key points in the park have been raised and reinforced with heavy rock rip-rap, a scarce commodity in the immediate weeks and months after the June 2013 flood.
The McKenzie Meadows bridge, which spans the Bow River north of the McKenzie Meadows golf course, also remains closed as crews continue repairing abutments washed out last year. Pathways in Bebo Grove and Hull’s Wood and clearing debris from day-use areas at Mallard Point and Bankside could be completed by the fall. But more extensive work on damaged bridges and heavily damaged pathways could stretch into 2015 as officials determine how to protect the infrastructure from future flood events, said Young.
“Even just the design of our pathways and making them more resilient in times of floods, so high water can go over top of them and debris can settle on them, but we’re able to just go in and clean them off,” he said.
Alberta Parks will host an information session for the public on Tuesday, July 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre at 13931 Woodpath Road S.W.