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North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority begin Chippewa Creek repairs

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The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority will begin work next week to remediate 45 metres of Chippewa Creek at Oak Street and re-establish the Kinsmen Trail link across the creek with a new pedestrian bridge.

“The benefits to the residents of North Bay are twofold,” said City Coun. Dave Mendicino, chair of the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority board.

"The channel work will repair streambank erosion and help alleviate upstream flood hazards. The new pedestrian bridge will provide a significant enhancement to the city’s active transportation network."

The board awarded $763,000 to CSL Group Ltd. to get the project underway. Construction was expected to begin last fall, but was rescheduled to this year. It is expected to begin Aug. 3 and be completed by late fall of this year.

Pedestrians will be redirected to Main Street until construction is completed.

“The creek repair gives us an opportunity to enhance the city’s active transportation network with a new pedestrian bridge that will strengthen the pedestrian and cycling link between West Ferris, downtown and, ultimately, the waterfront and across the city,” said Mendicino.

An old Ontario Northland railway bridge, as well as the existing closed pedestrian bridge, will be torn down. A new 28-metre prefabricated steel bridge with a wooden deck will accommodate the widened creek channel and utilities in the area.

The need for the creek repairs was identified in a 2015 erosion control study of Chippewa Creek. The Oak Street section of the creek was tagged as the top priority. Reoccurring flooding and excessive erosion were causing instability in the banks and channels. And the stone abutments along this portion of the creek were becoming unstable.

Following the erosion control study, the best remediation option was identified through a class environmental assessment completed in 2019.

The old concrete abutments will be replaced with new armour stone wall on one side. The other side of the creek will be regraded to create a wider creek channel incorporating principles of natural channel design, including native shrub plantings and a bank full bench to help re-establish riparian habitat areas. Shoreline vegetation will help shore up the streambanks and create natural habitat.

The project will also help alleviate upstream flooding hazards and slightly reduce the flood plain 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. 

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