Flood gate for Parkview Drive passes inspection
A new water-tight gate that will be mounted across Parkview Drive during a flood has passed inspection after it was installed and tested Wednesday and Thursday.
Construction crews with MJB Enterprises, currently finishing the Riverside Phase I berm, ran through the set-up process with city employees. The temporary wall, which comprises slates braced by removable posts on the roadway, can be set up in a matter of hours.
After minor adjustments, it was certified for use in case of emergency.
“Things went smoothly and we should see the roadway opened by next week,” said Carlie Collier, flood mitigation project manager with municipal works.
“(The city and the contractor) are very familiar with the process, so it went quite quickly with only a few minor issues.”
This week, crews closed off roadways and set up detours and parking restrictions so the gate could be tested and final cleanup and landscaping could take place on the berm.
Collier said traffic diversions and parking restrictions could be lifted soon but motorists should continue to obey traffic signs.
It’s the fifth such gate that could be deployed at city roadways left open throughout the year or butt up against berms.
Mounting brackets are in place at the city and courthouse parkades on River Road, as well as on either side of the River Road access to the Medicine Hat Arena parking lot and on Fifth Street in Lions Park.
A gate was also part of initial designs for the construction of the Industrial Avenue berm, which planners say could begin this spring, though no definitive dates have been given.
This week’s installation in Riverside also served as the department’s annual refresher course for employees in how to install the “demountable barriers” ahead of flood season each June.
Each spring, various city departments, including utilities and emergency services, revise their flood procedures and reestablish chain of command and responsibilities for state of emergency.
The Riverside berm runs from Finlay Bridge westward on First Street to private property at First Avenue SE. The gate spans the intersection of First Street and Parkview Drive, which becomes Altawana Avenue in Riverside.