Innovative Water Crossings

Deep peatland conditions and fish-bearing watercourses occur all across Alberta, limiting the use of conventional road and bridge construction. Roads crossing waterbodies require innovative, environmentally responsible solutions.

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soils Bottomless Culvert

The Boreal Wetland Centre demonstrates a geosynthetic reinforced soil and bottomless culvert bridge. The bottomless culvert means that the creek bed is minimally disturbed, and then through a series of structural supports and compacted soil, a bridge is built up over the culvert.

Benefits:

• Hydrology is minimally impacted

• Watercourse integrity maintained

• Constriction of the bed and banks of the watercourse is avoided

• No siltation occurs

Project Contributors