Chatham-Kent Council is working on a long-term plan to deal with flooding and erosion on Erie Shore Drive.
Council has approved the release of a request for proposal to hire a third-party engineering consultant to make a preliminary report to consider better use, maintenance and repair of any drainage works within the Burk Drainage Scheme, which includes the area around Erie Shore Drive.
A preliminary report is thought to be the most logical approach because it will include high-level design concepts and cost estimates for the proposed work and how much landowners will have to pay.
The municipality built a temporary structure with earth and concrete blocks to stabilize the existing roadway and dike along Erie Shore Drive just under a year ago, after concerns that the current dike could fail.
Thomas Kelly, Chatham-Kent’s general manager of infrastructure and engineering, says the temporary solution is working well and is minimizing the risk of failure, but a long-term plan is needed.
“This particular work we are authorizing is step one of the process,” Kelly says in coming up with a long-term plan and guidance on what the next steps and estimated cost will be for a long-term fix.