It's a common story this year - another road closed because of high water levels, but planning is under way to reopen one special road.Grid 777 in the RM of Three Lakes, a major route in that rural area and the boundary between Houghton Lake to the south and Lenore Lake to the north, has been closed since spring. The high levels of precipitation received by eastern Saskatchewan this spring raised the levels of both lakes and an order from Environment Canada forced the closure of a culvert under the road between the two lakes. This led to water from Houghton flooding the grid just a few miles east of the culvert.According to Dwayne Rowlett with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA), they've been forced to come up with a plan for the rebuilding of the road. The order from Environment Canada which closed the culvert, turned the grid into a dam, not a road, he explained. With that in mind, the SWA had to come up with a plan to re-open the road to traffic, while making sure it passed muster as a dam to prevent water flow to the north.The SWA hired AMEC, an engineering and consultancy firm, to devise a plan to re-open the grid while meeting the standards of a road and a dam."We've fast-tracked the engineering," said Rowlett. "We don't have a plan set in stone, but we hope to start construction in September."The plan involves moving the road 100 to 200 metres to the north, around the flooded section, he explained. It will basically mean a curve in the road to replace the approximately half mile section that is affected by the high water, Rowlett added.The SWA has been working with the RM of Three Lakes on the plan and has a council resolution stating that moving the road north is the best solution, Rowlett said."We're in an unusual situation," he stated. "We have to fix the road, but the RM will eventually take it over."Rowlett said that people have gotten used to having the road closed, but he knows everyone would like it open again."I think people will be pleased to hear we're going ahead with plans to fix the road," he stated.
