Why We Made a Bed for 200 Snakes

Workers discovered about 200 snakes settling in for winter, in a den of shale layers.  The environmental monitor for the project identified two types – the Common Garter Snake  and the Western Terrestrial (Wandering) Garter Snake. Both are common in BC, but the size of the nest was unusual for this part of the province. The snakes were in harm’s way and a solution needed to be found.

Adding Drains to the Floodplain to Keep Motorists Safe

At the March 2016 project open house, many local folks voiced concerns about the volume of water that sometimes saturates the area. When we tested different high water scenarios, using a hydraulic model, we recognized that the new section of road would actually need 11 large flood relief culverts, and the bridge would have to be five metres longer to accommodate the Tsolum River when things got extra wet.