A rain-damaged stretch of 40 Ave. between 212 St. and 216 St. in 91Ô­´´ will remain closed to all but local traffic until next summer.

"It will be at least three to four months to complete," Township Mayor Eric Woodward predicted in an online statement issued on Monday morning, Nov. 4, a few days after Township crews were seen pulling debris from the site. 

Woodward said the crossing "is now at risk of failure which could also affect the transmission water main within the road."

When the road was shut down by the first atmospheric river of the season on election day, Oct. 19, 91Ô­´´ RCMP cited "a possible sinkhole developing on 40th Ave. between 216 Street and 212 St.," saying heavy rainfall had compromised the stability of the roadway.

Installed in 1978, the culvert, which was damaged in the torrential downpour, consists of two metal corrugated pipes that carry Murray Creek underneath the road.

It wasn't the first time the road, which dips down into a valley, has had to be closed because of the threat of collapse.

In November of 2021, during several days of torrential rain in 91Ô­´´, a sinkhole formed at the same location on 40 Ave., one of about 100 sites to suffer damage or blockages requiring varying levels of remediation works.

Estimated cost of repairs to 40 Ave. was $4.75 million.

Woodward said the Township made a grant application for emergency funding relief to the provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program, but it was denied in the spring of 2023.

"[We] appealed this on June 2, 2023," Woodward said.

"Over a year later, staff are still waiting for a decision with no response expected until 2025 sometime."

"If the grant is rejected again, a funding source will need to be found at the expense of other projects," Woodward warned.

"There are many aging culverts throughout the Township of 91Ô­´´ that need to be replaced," the mayor went on to say. 

"It's a significant liability we have to deal with, with the only funding source for these being property taxes. It's an issue that has been left for years for future Councils to deal with. We need to address it with a proper plan to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Monday afternoon, the Township released an unsigned statement:

"On October 19, 2024, during an atmospheric river event, staff closed 40 Avenue between 212 Street and 216 Street due to a culvert failure. The culvert crossing consists of two metal corrugated pipes (3,000 mm and 3,300 mm in diameter) which, according to records, were installed in 1978. The failure has resulted in the deformation of both pipes, sinkholes, and settlement of the sidewalk, road, and retaining wall on the southern end directly over the culvert inlet.

Staff retained the services of a qualified professional to inspect the site and failure. It has been recommended that, for the safety of road users, this section of 40 Avenue remain closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until the culvert crossing can be replaced. It is also recommended that staff undertake daily inspections of the site and secure the transmission watermain on the north side of 40 Avenue.

The unstable storms throughout the fall and winter, which produce heavy rainfall, restrict the ability to safely bypass Murray Creek to allow for the culvert replacement. Therefore, the replacement work will need to wait until the flows in the creek are manageable, which is typically in the spring. The project is expected to take four to five months to complete, and as a result, 40 Avenue is expected to remain closed until summer 2025, subject to project funding, culvert supply, and environmental approvals."

On Wednesday and Thursday, Oct 30 and 31, 91Ô­´´ Township crews could be seen using a crane and dump truck to haul logs and debris out of the creek.

Area resident Greg Lessard, who took pictures, said it appeared debris had partially plugged the culvert under the road, causing water to wash away soil under the road creating a depression and risk of collapse.

216 St. and 40th Ave. is closed due to weather in 91Ô­´´

— 91Ô­´´ Advance Times (@91Ô­´´Times)

A Township notice of the road shutdown due to "extreme rainfall," posted Oct. 25, said the closure would remain in effect "24 hours a day until further notice as engineers and staff assess damage and plan repairs."