Rocky View County (RVC) council unanimously approved a budget adjustment of approximately $140,000 to receive funding from the Government of Alberta for the completion of the West Bragg Creek Emergency Access Study.
According to Rick Wiljamaa, manager of engineering services with RVC, the County was asked to complete a study on behalf of Alberta Transportation to identify an emergency access to West Bragg Creek. Currently, he said, the only access to the community is by crossing the Elbow River.
“During times of catastrophic events such as extreme flooding or a forest fire, the crossing may be cut off, isolating the area of West Bragg Creek with no emergency access route,” he said.
“During the 2013 flood event, the river crossing at Balsam Avenue was temporarily closed – leaving residents without the ability to access their homes or exit the area.”
This issue was made even more challenging when a land transfer between the Government of Alberta and the Tsuu T’ina Nation was approved by the Federal Government in May 2015, according to administration’s report. A large portion of the lands north of Bragg Creek were exchanged for more than 1,000 acres of reserve lands required for the construction of the Calgary Southwest Ring Road, making the process of finding an emergency access and egress to the north of Bragg Creek more difficult.
Alberta Transportation confirmed the availability of funding for the study in November 2015, and RVC issued a request for proposal for the scope of work in January. The project was awarded in March, according to RVC administration, and is considered “very important” to the County and the community of Bragg Creek.
“A team of local engineers and residents have expressed interest in following up on the recommendations, which is so very important in solving this decades-old issue which has been brought to the forefront with the wildfire risk and, of course, the bridge closure during the 2013 flood,” said Area Councillor Liz Breakey in her Spring 2016 email update.
Breakey added the Emergency Access Study process will take “up to six months.”
