It appears the work on repairing the concrete box culvert of Road 7 West in the Municipality of Rhineland will be more extensive than initially thought.
"The engineers were contemplating a minor repair on the wings of the concrete culvert," explained Reeve Don Wiebe who noted that work did get underway. "As our engineers proceeded with that repair they became aware the culverts are cracked, and have sufficiently deteriorated over the last two years, so they have advised us that the culverts should be replaced."
In short, this means the initial repair work has been stopped and will not be completed, because the entire concrete box culvert needs to be removed.
"This will create a huge inconvenience for our farmers for this harvest season," admitted Wiebe. "However, Rhineland deems this to be a critical crossing, and our first action would be to request support for the Disaster Financial Assistance program, and we will be keeping you posted how these developments proceed."
Meanwhile, there is much better news regarding the Road 9 West three span bridge project. The piers have been installed, and Wiebe has been told the work will be completed next year.
Cold storage shed project underway
Also on the construction front, those driving by the Rhineland Public Works yard just east of Altona, will notice a large shed going up.
"As part of the 2025 budget, Rhineland planned to build a cold storage shed to protect our equipment against the elements," he said. "This cold storage is about 100 by 120 feet. There were a few delays, but the base has been done. The walls are going up, and the shed will be finished later this Fall."
The costs for the project are being borne by the Municipality's infrastructure reserve funds.
You can listen to the entire Reeve on the Radio conversation with Rhineland's Don Wiebe, below.