Work to improve abutment areas of the Clearwater River Bridge is expected to begin in the fall after salmon season, said Mayor Merlin Blackwell.
“The abutments on either side of the bridge were eroding because they were made out of the wrong type of stone - lava rock so very porous and light,” Blackwell told the Times Wednesday.
Costs of the $3.55 million project are being covered by a Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) grant the district applied for in 2023 and received in 2024.
When underwater inspections of the bridge area were done, it was also discovered the old bridge abutments, upstream of the present bridge, were creating an underwater ripple that is digging a hole around the current abutments and eroding the rocks in the river bottom that were supporting one of the two main support pillars for the bridge, Blackwell said.
Working with TRUE Consulting for engineering assessments and Simpcw First Nation for archaeology assessments, the district has been determining the best course of action to resolve the erosion issues.
That's because while the abutments are relatively simple and involve removing material and replacing it with the right material, dealing with the old abutment in the bottom of the river is different.
“If you change one thing - say we remove the old abutment that’s causing the issue - what’s the actual effect of that?" Blackwell said. "Will it cause a problem somewhere else or does it stabilize things?”
A pre-design project budget provided by TRUE Consulting was in the council agenda package for the July 8, 2025 regular meeting.
It showed a breakdown of costs including general requirements, $350,000, earthworks, $250,000, riprap protection, $1,400,000, contingency, $800,000, engineering and permitting, $600,000, archaeology and First Nations consultation, $150,000, adding up for a total of $3,550,000.
Blackwell confirmed a recent engineering assessment determined the bridge itself is safe and does not require any sort of load restrictions.
Through the years there have been standard repairs to the bridge, such as replacing eroding concrete and replacing sections of rebar as needed, the mayor added.
“It’s been a very, very good bridge and really has not required a lot of work.”
In 2012, five years after incorporation, the district took over the maintenance of roads and at the the time the bridge was in very good shape, he explained, noting the Ministry of Transportation and Transit left it in good shape.
“If you want to easily get around town, this is the critical bridge. If not, you are taking 15 to 20 kilometre detours,” Blackwell said.
