The Mooney Creek bridge on the Sawridge Road west of Slave Lake may or may not be fixed or replaced. But it will be closed, according to a decision made by M.D. #124 council last week.
Council made the decision after reviewing an engineer’s report that they felt left them no choice, mainly for reasons of liability.
“In a nutshell, Alberta Transportation has said, ‘fix it or close it,’ said the M.D.’s Director of Field Services George Snider.
Councillor Tim Walmsley had a slightly different (but important) take on the report.
“The way I read this, it says close it and then fix it or replace it.
“With this report in our hands,” Walmsley added, “we have to close it.”
His colleagues agreed, although they clearly weren’t all that comfortable with it. Councillor Darcie Acton went as far as to say she opposed closing the bridge, which of course would effectively close the road for most users. Traffic counts last year saw up to 300 vehicles per day using the road.
Some of those users attended a council meeting earlier this year, making a plea to keep the bridge open. They cited safety as the main consideration, given the sometimes hazardous state of Hwy. 2, which runs parallel. Other people present at the meeting favoured removal of the bridge, because of its historical role in acting as a dam and causing flooding.
According to Snider, the flooding has caused considerable damage to the bridge, and in the opinion of the engineer, the 49-year-old structure is in need of major repair or replacement.
The trouble is, Snider told council, both are expensive and not likely to be supported by the province – at least for quite some time. The province would pay for removal of the bridge.
Council did not make a decision on the ultimate fate of the bridge. It will be closed, however, pending that decision, for which council wants more information.
Reeve Denny Garratt said he’d like to hear from the Sawridge Band first, as well as the opinions of local emergency services what their thoughts are on having the road closed.

Copyright © 2000 The Lakeside Leader. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster