Lincoln celebrates Konkle Creek rehab

By Tristan Marks
NewsNow

The Town of Lincoln celebrated the completion of its Konkle Creek rehabilitation project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday.

This project addressed channel erosion issues of the creek, while restoring the watercourse to a more natural form with curves and meanders. The project also contributed to the Town’s Active Transportation Plan by including connective trails and routes.

The creek travels a north/south axis with the trail connecting from Greenlane Road to the north down to Friesen Boulevard to the south.

The Town has invested approximately $3.3 million into the construction, offsetting this cost with a $600,000 funding grant from the Clean Water & Wastewater Fund (CWWF).

The project was first proposed after an environmental assessment that took place a decade ago identified the extreme erosion affecting the creek, and the need to rebuild the entire watercourse to prevent this in the future. Construction began in 2017, and would continue over the following four years, missing a year of construction due to the COVID pandemic.

Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton said this project brings “many benefits…to our town, residents, and the environment.”

“Lincoln is a community that prides itself on community connectivity and environmental stewardship, and this project truly exemplifies these values,” said Easton.

Likewise, CAO Mike Kirkopoulos noted that a project like this ties together many different issues for the town.

“I want to emphasize how critical projects like this are,” said Kirkopoulos. “They are a mix of an environmental project, a public works and water project and a recreational project. All three equally important.”

He added that the key focus is “connectivity.”

“This creek realignment really is a feat in hydro geomorphology and science,” said Kirkopoulos. “We realigned the creek and created a place that’s seen hundreds of visits and use already.”