Conditions around Corner Brook were icy and many residents had their properties flooded as the rain melted the area’s ever-growing snowbanks.
Brent Humphries, executive director of the Corner Brook Stream Trail, said the lower section of the trail near the old city hall flooded in places.
“The water didn’t cause any damage,” Humphries said Friday. “We’ve had this happen before but we’ve designed our drainage to deal with it. There’s mild scouring on some of the trail surfaces but nothing major.”
After the water receded, he said crews quickly spread salt and sand to remove any of the network’s slippery sections. A few small ice pans were left on the trail’s surface, but Humphries said all bridges are now intact, with their decks clean and dry.
“We shoveled them off yesterday to make sure we’re down to bare wood,” he said. “Now, it’s a matter of taking care of some of the slippery conditions around.”
The trails are used year-round, so Humphries said crews are always monitoring weather and are prepared for any extra work in addition to daily maintenance checks such as shoveling and garbage removal.
While this thaw came in the heart of winter, long before the typical spring melt, Humphries said changing weather patterns make it hard to predict when such conditions might hit.
“We’ve had some pretty strange weather conditions over the past few years,” he said. “There is no normal time now to have this type of flooding. We’re ready for this when it happens.”
jbennett@thewesternstar.com
Twitter: WS_JamieBennett
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Mattis Point road still closed Friday afternoon
MATTIS POINT The road leading to the community of Mattis Point near Stephenville Crossing was still not open to regular traffic on Friday afternoon after a closure was announced in the early morning.
In a statement issued by the Department of Transportation and Works, the high water levels in this area were a result of ocean pack ice and high tides. These factors have caused an estuary to back up, causing water to flow over the road.
The department said Transportation and Works drainage infrastructure is not damaged in this area and it is expected the water will recede once the tides recede or the pack ice eases. Emergency vehicles were able to get though this area and emergency services were notified of the situation.
Transportation and Works officials were monitoring the scene and were advising the general public to stay off this section of road on Friday afternoon.
