Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / PML / Work has wrapped up on stabilizing the slope behind 46058 Bridle Ridge Crescent, an 18-unit residential strata in Promontory. The atmospheric river events of November 2021 significantly damaged the Salmon Ridge Trail; it will not be fixed. The total cost to the city to stabilize the slope was $1.64 million, but there is funding available to the City of Chilliwack through the provincial government.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Salmon Ridge Trail

Slope stabilized along Salmon Ridge Trail in Promontory, but trail not reinstated

Feb 17, 2023 | 8:56 AM

CHILLIWACK — The Salmon Ridge Trail was once a popular hiking path in Chilliwack within the forested trail network that connected parts of Promontory with Chilliwack Lake Road.

But the raging flood waters in the atmospheric river events of 2021 inflicted severe damage and eroded parts of the trail to the point that immobile fences were erected at various access points, rendering parts of the trail behind Bridle Ridge Crescent up on Promontory inaccessible and impassable.

Thankfully, work has now wrapped up on a critical slope stabilization project behind 46058 Bridle Ridge Crescent. The project began in early August 2022 and was completed in November 2022 at a final cost of $1.64 million.

According to Jamie Leggatt, director of communications for the City of Chilliwack, funding has been identified through Emergency Management B.C. following the November 2021 atmospheric river.

The contract with GDM Greystone Design Management Construction did not include reinstatement of the portion of the trail at this time.

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To address the dangerous slope deficiencies, Chilliwack City Council voted on July 19, 2022 to accept a $1.7 million bid from GDM Greystone Design Management Construction to stabilize the slope, but stopped short of rehabilitating the entire trail.

At the July 2022 meeting, Frank Van Nynatten, assistant manager of environmental services for the City of Chilliwack, prepared a staff report that contained recommendations from a geotechnical firm. Geowest provided a review of the hillside, an assessment of the slope stability, and a recommendation to rehabilitate the unstable areas along the trail.

Geowest strongly urged the city at the time to repair the affected slope as quickly as possible to prevent further deterioration of the slope behind homes located at 46058 Bridle Ridge Crescent, an 18-unit subdivision in Promontory. Failure to act quickly could have resulted in increased risk to properties adjacent to the trail.

Image: Supplied by Clint Burns / Damage to the Salmon Ridge Trail is shown after the atmospheric river events of November 2021. The slope has since been stabilized but the trail has not been reinstated at this time.

As noted by Van Nynatten, the Bridle Ridge hillside and pedestrian trail have experienced repeated slope instabilities during and since its construction, including 2010-11, 2020, and 2021.

Geowest also recommended that due to the challenging topography, abandoning the Salmon Ridge Trail in the affected area should be considered by council.

The contractor was responsible for all labour, materials and equipment including stripping, excavation, grade beam, rockfill, gabion baskets, fill material, tecco mesh with turf reinforcement and related construction activities per the tender document.