John Paul's Lane Replacements – Public Comments Invited

July 20, 2022 – Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)  must determine whether the proposed replacement of an existing highway bridge located at Eskasoni First Nation likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, ISC  is  inviting public comments in respect to that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.

Written comments must be submitted by August 20, 2022 to:

Indigenous Services Canada – Environment

PO BOX 160

Amherst, NS

B4H 3Z3

aadnc.paeat-erpat.aandc@canada.ca

 

The Proposed Project

The proposed project includes the removal of the existing John Paul's Lane Bridge, replacement with a new bridge, and reconstruction of the existing roadway approaches.  A September 2019 inspection of the structure found the existing structure unsafe and recommended its closure until replacement could be completed.

A single-lane Bailey style detour bridge, west of the existing, is temporarily in use.  The detour bridge will be removed by its owner once the replacement bridge is operational. The remaining roadway bed will be maintained to provide for parking and access to the lake in the area.

The most cost effective and durable bridge option for this site is anticipated to be an 18.3 m long (clear span), single-span, precast concrete rigid frame structure (Supershawspan2) with approach slabs.

The current concept consists of 1 – 3.6 m wide travel lane, 2 – 0.59 m shoulders, a 1.5 m wide sidewalk on the east (lake) side and concrete curb/steel barrier on each side (total width of structure 7.23 m). Due to the positioning of the current detour, there is no ability to widen toward the west. Therefore, all additional bridge and approach roadway width must be realigned to the east. A widened gravel shoulder on the east side of the structure will tie into the sidewalk on the bridge.

To retain roadway fills, precast concrete wingwall units are required at all four corners.  Steel H-Piles foundations and cast-in-place concrete pile caps will allow the foundations to be perched above the lakebed limiting the need for in-water work. Each abutment will be surrounded with armour stone to prevent scour at 2:1 stable slopes. Based on the work to date, it appears that all toes of slopes can be kept above the Ordinary High-Water Mark (OHWM) and therefore no infilling within the watercourse.

The vertical clearances under the bridge have been set according to the hydraulic study, including sea level rise within the Bras D'Or Lake, and to limit infilling of the watercourse.