Article by:
Frank McGwire
Manitoba reported one of the wettest Aprils on record this year and May is showing little signs of the damp conditions improving here in the Westman area. The Red Willow Pedestrian trail, which leads to the footbridge over the Assiniboine River near the Riverbank Discovery Centre is closed due to flooding on both the north and south ends. James Montgomery General Manager of Brandon Riverbank Inc. & Brandon Tourism says, "There are barricades and signage up now. Safety is always our number one priority." The pathway is located to the east of the Discovery Centre and runs from the east end of the Riverbank grounds over the footbridge to the Ashley Neufeld Softball complex.
Montgomery reminds visitors of Brandon's long-standing tourist attraction, "Please be safe around the river and water bodies. We actually raised this trail and repaved it a couple of years ago. Up until now, it has done its job and we've been able to keep the trail open. For safety reasons, it's now closed until further notice." Early predictions as to how long the closure of the pedestrian trail will be closed are approximately two weeks depending on river levels according to Montgomery.
Flooding in the area has become a semi-regular occurrence over the recent past as Montgomery says they're dealt with several flooding issues, "We've had flooding in this area 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2022 now. Everyone who was living here in those years, remembers 2014 was due to excessive rain in July. In 2020 from July 1 to the 3rd we had 12 inches of rain in 2 days. Now it's snow and melting/rain causing the flooding."
Although it will be a slight setback to the Discovery Centre, Montgomery chooses to focus on the positive with this latest flooding issue, "On the plus side, our east wetland is full of water for the ducks and geese!"
The general public is reminded to avoid the area until further notice.
Log in with Google