It’s been a rough year for many drivers north of the bypass and another road closure can be expected for the foreseeable future.
While it’s been closed to all traffic for a few weeks already, the City of Kenora says a portion of Coker Road, east of Kelly Road, will be closed indefinitely after safety concerns were noticed by city staff earlier this month.
The City of Kenora says there are no properties impacted by the closure, but staff do understand the inconvenience on residents. The city adds they have informed Canada Post, First Student, emergency responders and others on the closure.
As it stands, staff will be working alongside a geotechnical engineering firm to provide solutions to Council, and the roadway is set to remain closed until a solution is found.
The city was forced to shut down the same portion of the roadway in May after the historic rainfall and flooding seen across northwestern Ontario in 2022, with Coker Road being totally flooded out by the end of the month.
At its worst, flooding on Coker was reported to be over 20” over an estimated 350 metres.
Council voted to approve about $185,000 in repair work for Coker Road in June to raise the roadway and help prevent flooding in the future. Funds were taken out of the JM Roads Reserve Fund.