NBMCA’s David Ellingwood (right) meets with Kyle Hayhurst of CSL Group Ltd, the contractors which completed the Chippewa Creek Erosion Remediation Project.
Chippewa Creek Erosion Project nears Completion with New Pedestrian Bridge
(North Bay, February 10, 2023) The Chippewa Creek Erosion Remediation project is one step closer to completion today with the installation of the 28 metre pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge over the creek at Oak St. through a project led by the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority.
“The creek repair completed last fall has provided a much-needed remedy for the instability of the creek’s banks. The pedestrian bridge installed today strengthens the link between the Kate Pace Way and the Chippewa Creek EcoPath and the trails that connect the City,” said Dave Britton, NBMCA Chair.
The need for the creek repairs was identified in a 2015 erosion control study for Chippewa Creek. The Oak St. section of the creek was tagged as the top priority. Repeated flooding and excessive erosion were causing instability of the creek banks. The abutments along this portion of the creek were becoming unstable.
“NBMCA’s watershed-based initiatives, such as the Chippewa Creek Erosion Remediation Project, highlight NBMCA’s strong role in natural hazard management in collaboration with our member municipalities,” added CAO Chitra Gowda.
The remediation project consisted of several components undertaken in phases since 2019: removal of an unused Ontario Northland Railway bridge; removal of a pedestrian bridge that connected to the Kate Pace Way; demolition of a small building; widening of the creek channel and resloping of the banks; installation of armourstone to protect underground water and sanitary pipes; planting of native shrub species on the banks; and installation of a new, wider and longer pedestrian bridge span.
The pedestrian bridge will be open to the public once the trail connections and final landscaping are completed in the late spring.
Funding for the erosion repair work has been provided by the City of North Bay and the Province of Ontario (through the Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure Program).
The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) was founded in 1972 by the Province of Ontario and the NBMCA’s member municipalities. A non-profit organization, the NBMCA works closely with the public to balance human needs with the environmental needs of the region’s watershed. The NBMCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities who are members of Conservation Ontario.