ALAMEDA - The RM of Moose Creek has been busy cleaning up their to-do list.
Along with their new maintenance shop, they have finished the McCauley Crossing. It took 11 years to complete.
Previously, it was a low-level crossing. With the yearly melting of snow, it was generally flooded and impassable until June or July. The spring runoff took its toll, causing serious erosion. Eleven years ago, a truck fell through it.
It was hoped to replace the crossing quickly, but red tape and poor weather forecasts put the plans on hold year after year. Six or seven attempts to start failed. A dry year was required and forecasts indicated that 2022 would be a favourable year.
The construction began in January and by the end of May, it was completed. Councillor Jeff Humphries was the first to officially drive over it and make sure that all was well. He was very pleased with his test drive.
“It’s 8 1/2 metres wide and sturdy enough to handle the heaviest of equipment. It was needed for farmers, fishermen and commercial drivers. It saves a detour of 12 kilometres,” Humphries said.
It was designed by engineers. It runs north and south and crosses a river that runs west to east. On the west side, a drainage ditch that Humphries calls a “bathtub” collects the seasonal flood water and takes it to the south, where the road has a dip. The water crosses the road at that dip and returns to the river on the east side of the crossing, preventing any water from eroding the underside of the crossing. As a result, it should last for years to come.
Now it’s time to consider another project to knock off the list of things to do. Councillor Reed Gibson has got the ball rolling on a section of Range Road 2020, giving the old dirt road a solid base so that it comes up to heavy haul standards. That should be completed later this fall.
