By Shaun Penner

County Roads

County grants over $3 million for bridge replacement, road upgrades

Jun 11, 2019 | 5:30 AM

Council for the County of Grande Prairie has approved just over $2 million worth of work on two stretches of road on Township Roads 724 and 730, as well as just over $1.2 million for the replacement of the bridge along Township Road 734, between Range Roads 113 and 114 (west of Hythe).

In terms of the road projects, work will include re-surfacing of those stretches of road such as re-claying and re-gravelling, explains Public Works Director Dale Van Volkingburgh.

“In essence, the road is tired, worn out, has topsoil, trees, whatever else in there,” said Van Volkingburgh. “We’re going to take all that out, re-build it with adequate clay, re-compact it all, gravel it, make it a better gravel standard. Potentially, it’ll be ready for paving in the future that way.”

Now that dollar figure may seem high to some residents, but Van Volkingburgh explains that it is the sheer amount of road that will be re-surfaced that puts the high price tag on it.

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“It’s large work because, really, it segments out to about four miles (6.4 kilometres) of rebuilding some roads too. The lineal length of it actually drives the dollar factor that’s going through it.”

In terms of the bridge work, a full replacement was deemed necessary by inspectors, though it is not a case where the bridge is structurally unsafe at this point.

“We have on-going bridge inspections with all of our bridges. This one has come to the point that it needs to be replaced. Its life expectancy is done,” said Van Volkingburgh. “It isn’t structurally in jeopardy, but it will be if we don’t do some work to it.”

This work is all part of the $31 million the County is spending on capital road and bridge projects this year. There is currently no timeline for when these projects will start or be completed.

Drivers along Township Road 720 can expect to be diverted starting tomorrow (June 12) between Range Roads 84 and 85, as that road will be closed for a culvert replacement.

Local traffic will be able to access the area via Highway 724. Timelines for this project are weather dependant.