Now nearing completion, a North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority project will re-establish the Kinsmen Trail link with a new pedestrian bridge across Chippewa Creek near Oak Street East, and the scope of work includes the remediation of 45 metres of the creek.
The project has been on the books for years but experienced delays due to the pandemic. The NBMCA says the channel work will repair erosion and help alleviate upstream flood hazards while enhancing North Bay's active transportation network.
See related: New pedestrian bridge for Kinsmen Trail Link
There is some work left to be done. While the bridge is in place, it remains fenced off and is not open for public use quite yet.
"The City of North Bay has identified municipal infrastructure work to be carried out in the vicinity of the Oak Street bridge abutments," North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority CAO Chitra Gowda tells BayToday. "The goal is for the bridge to be ready in July, to accommodate the municipal infrastructure project need."
An old ONTC railway bridge and the previous pedestrian bridge have been removed. The new 28-metre prefabricated steel bridge with a wooden deck accommodates the widened creek channel and utilities in the area.
The need for the creek repairs was identified in a 2015 erosion control study for Chippewa Creek. The Oak Street East section of the creek was tagged as the top priority. Reoccurring flooding and excessive erosion were causing instability of the banks and channels. The stone abutments along this portion of the creek were becoming unstable.
Following the erosion control study, the best remediation option for this site was identified through a class environmental assessment completed in 2019.
The old concrete abutments have been replaced with a new armour stone wall on one side. The other side of the creek has been regraded to create a wider creek channel incorporating principles of natural channel design including native shrub plantings to help re-establish habitat areas.
Shoreline vegetation helps shore up the streambanks and creates natural habitats, according to the NBMCA. The work also reduces the floodplain in the area.
The costs of the original Chippewa Creek erosion study, the environmental assessment and the construction work are shared between the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, the City of North Bay, and the Province of Ontario.
The NBMCA Board awarded the $763,000 project to CSL Group Ltd. Construction in 2020 with an initial expected completion in 2021.
With files from Jeff Turl and Chris Dawson
