B.C. preps highway for future storms

CHETWYND, B.C. — The Province of B.C. plans to repair parts of Highway 29 to make it capable of surviving flooding and storms.

The $4.2-million contract for the work was won by Belvedere Place Contracting.

The repairs will include Culvert replacement and work is slated to begin later this summer south of Chetwynd at Zonnebeke Creek.

The new, larger culvert at Zonnebeke Creek will be capable of accommodating a one-in-200-year flood event, explains a release. The culvert will increase from three metres in diameter to a 6.4 metres in diameter

Zonnebeke Creek will also be restored to its pre-flood condition.

Drivers will be able to use the two-lane detour until repairs are completed and the new culvert installed. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2018.

The region learned what sudden, severe storms can do to its highway infrastructure. In June 2016, a massive storm surge passed through the Peace District, resulting in over 120 millimetres of rain in a 72-hour period. This, combined with heavy snow run-off at higher elevations, caused extensive damage to roads and highways in the region.