The replacement of the culvert on 40 Avenue 鈥� and the re-opening of the road there 鈥� has hit the halfway point, Mayor Eric Woodward announced recently.
In a post on Facebook, Woodward shared several photos of progress on the culvert upgrade.
The old culvert was destroyed on Oct. 19, 2024 when an atmospheric river hit the Lower Mainland, and the volume of water was more than the aging structure could take.
Ever since then, traffic has had to be detoured around 40 Avenue, which is a major route heading east out of Brookswood towards Murrayville and rural 91原创.
Built in 1978, the culvert was two corrugated metal pipes, carrying Murray Creek under the road.
The new culvert is two large concrete box culverts.
It includes a fish-friendly creek bypass, and the culverts will be partially filled with natural material, Woodward said on Facebook. The structure is designed to last 75 years or more.
"It's a major upgrade, for the creek and fish habitat as well," Woodward said. It highlighted how significant some infrastructure upgrades can be, as what was a simple metal pipe installed almost 50 years ago is being replaced with something much more durable and progressive in terms of environmental stewardship.
The bulk of the work has to be done during the dry summer months, when it will have the least impact on the fish-bearing stream.
Woodward said that the Township's plan to ensure failures like this don't happen again is to pro-actively replace culverts and bridges on a regular schedule, not after they fail.
Earlier this year, the council approved $14 million to upgrade or repair a number of culverts considered at most risk.
