In July 2014, the southwest corner of Manitoba experienced an unprecedented high water level event due to near record precipitation that occurred at the end of June. This rain event caused bridge collapses, major culvert failures and road closures, impacting over 100 bridge structures owned by Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT), crippling local access and transportation in the area. The Assiniboine River system also simultaneously experienced a record high water level event, similar to previous record flood levels in 1976 and 2011, putting several major MIT bridges at risk.
A state of emergency was declared by the Province of Manitoba in portions of the province and 60 Manitoba rural municipalities declared a state of local emergency in response to flood water impacts. MIT bridge and highway personnel were tasked with responding to this flood event to assess damage and determine plans of action to restore access to flood damaged bridge and road infrastructure. An estimated $70 million in damage occurred to MITs bridges and province-wide, an estimated $220 million in damage for Disaster Financial Assistance, related to the 2014 summer flooding, was sustained.
This paper will expand on the following points:
The background of the flood event and affected areas,
The impact to the area residents and stakeholders, including oil production companies and agricultural producers in the region,
MITs action plan implemented immediately during the flood event,
How MIT personnel assessed flood damage to structures,
How MIT temporarily repaired bridge and culvert structures to re-establish interim restricted access, and
MITs process for fast-tracking replacement of severely damaged structures by direct negotiations with engineering service providers for design and contractors for construction of new bridge structures on strategic routes.
