Arthur WILLIAMS Citizen staff
The federal and provincial government announced $5.4 million in funding for construction of a dike along River Road on
Tuesday.
The proposed 3.3 kilometre dike would run parallel to River Road from the Cameron Street Bridge to the CN Rail bridge. City staff estimate the total cost of the project to be around $11.5 million.
"The challenge we have as a city is to come up with our share [of the total cost]," Mayor Shari Green said. "We know this work is in the capital plan, but it is
unfunded at this time."
The project has been referred to the city's financial department to examine possible funding models, Green said.
"We may have to look at borrowing," Green said. "The value of the assets [in the flood plane area] is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. This project will project those assets and prevent disruption to the businesses and residents."
Under the grant program, the city only has until March 2014 to complete the project to be eligible for the grant.
"As soon as we can get this in front of council, the sooner we can start this project," she said.
City project manager Dave Dyer said the proposed dike would be built just above the 200-year flood plane level, adjacent to River Road itself.
"It will be above the road, but not a lot, because River Road itself was raised during ... the reconstruction of the road," Dyer said.
"The idea is it will be set back from the river a little bit."
Having the dike set back from the river should reduce the amount of erosion and
maintenance needed, Dyer said.
The top of the dike should be an earthwork berm wide enough to accommodate a walking path, he added. Underneath the dike will be an underground barrier to prevent groundwater from seeping underneath the road.
"With the subdrain that we have and pumping, we'd hopefully be able to prevent groundwater from rising on the far side of the road," Dyer said.
The final cost of the project will depend on the cost of acquiring land along River Road, whether a path is incorporated into the dike top and other design features, he said. The city has already acquired some of the land along River Road,he added.
"Once we get the green light from council, we will proceed with planning. There is a lot of design that has to be done," Dyer said.
The earliest construction could begin is fall of this year, Dyer said.
Federal and provincial funding for the project came from the Build Canada Fund, a partnership between the federal government and provinces to support major
infrastructure projects.
"I am pleased to be part of this announcement of much needed funding for the River Road Dike project," Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris said in a written statement. "Our Conservative government is committed to helping communities with projects just like this. Providing $5.4 million for this project will ensure the safety of business and people who travel River Road during possible flooding conditions."
The River Road dike was one of 22 flood mitigation projects across B.C. to receive funding.
"The River Road Dike project shows a commitment to strengthening our communities and protecting the people of Prince George," Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond said in a written statement. "This investment in flood mitigation measures delivers on a promise to be as prepared as possible for flood
emergencies."
Major upgrades were made to River Road in 2009 and 2010, following the 2007-08 ice jam and flood on the Nechako River. The flood lasted 64 days, forced the evacuation of 24 homes and caused millions in damages.
