Blake Ellis/Local Journalism Initiative

Rokeby Line could be on the move; and it isn’t going to be cheap.

The toe slope of Bear Creek bank at Rokeby has shifted in recent years. This has caused the shoulder of the road to slump and the guide rail is not stable. In order to move ahead, the township had to have an environmental assessment of the area.

Project Engineers Kelly Vader and Steve Jackson came before Enniskillen Township Council at its meeting on Sept. 6, to present four options to move ahead with Rokeby Line Erosion Protection Project.

Council believes moving the road to the north and protecting the toe of Bear Creek may solve the problem.

The moving of the road, along with water main and storm drainage work and conducting spot treatment to the vegetation will only be the first phase of the work. The second phase will involve further protecting the slope.

But the fix is expensive – over a million dollars if both phases of the project are complete. The cost of the first phase is estimated at $750,417, while the second phase comes in at $381,146.

Council heard it is possible the second phase won’t have to be completed. The consultants suggested monitoring the river bank after the road has been moved.

Among the options presented to council including moving the road 13.5 metres to the north while also protecting the slope. The second solution focused on protecting the toe of the slope by putting down 130 metres of stone, protecting the fish habitat and grading the slope. The last alternative was to do no work at all. One chosen is a hybrid of the first and second options.

While the consultants gave an estimate for the work, Jackson said the final bill would not be known until come until contractors bid on the project.

Deciding on a solution for the class environmental assessment does not tie council to going ahead with the project. This will only allow for the class action assessment to be completed.

Council can wait up to 10 years to fix the erosion along the road using this assessment before it has to have a new assessment completed.