Cabin Lake dam complete
Almost a year after its expected completion date, construction of the Cabin Lake dam is finally finished.
Construction began on Aug. 25, 2015 and was supposed to be wrapped up by December of last year, however due to unforeseen problems the project was delayed.
Joseph Zebrowski, a communications officer for Jasper National Park, said that in December additional work was identified on the front face of the dam that was not part of the original project. It was discovered that a structure had been built on the lakebed to protect an outlet pipe.
鈥淭he size and shape of this structure, called a chase, prevented the cofferdam bags from making a tight seal on the lakebed, allowing too much water to enter the work area for construction to continue on this part of the dam,鈥� Zebrowski said in an email in May.
A cofferdam is a temporary watertight enclosure that is used to pump water out of an area to expose the bottom of a lake or river.
Despite the delays and extra work, Zebrowski said the original project remained on budget.
Cabin Lake provides water for fire protection, as well as a back-up supply of potable water for Jasper.
Last year, as part of a $211 million funding announcement, the Conservative government provided $1.6 million toward the rehabilitation of the Cabin Lake dam in order for it to meet safety requirements.
During the almost yearlong construction, the popular hiking route on Cabin Lake fire road (Trail 8e) was closed along with several other trails in the area.
Paving projects and temporary closures
Parks Canada has started two paving projects along Highway 93N.
The first is in Jasper National Park, starting 26 km south of Jasper near the Horseshoe Lake parking lot and continuing 1.5 km north of Kerkeslin Campground.
The second project is taking place in Banff National Park, starting near the Alexandra trailhead and Castleguard Meadows, continuing north for approximately 5 km to the Banff-Jasper boundary.
Work on both projects began Sept. 26 and is expected to be completed at the end of November. Highway users can expect 20-minute delays as both areas will be reduced to single-lane alternating traffic during work hours. Two-way traffic will resume during off-work hours.
Speed reductions to 50 km/h can also be expected.
Freewheel Cycle hosts annual 2 Athalon
The annual Freewheel Cycle Fall 2 Athalon is just around the corner, Oct. 2.
The yearly trek is the store鈥檚 way of celebrating an amazing year of cycling throughout Jasper National Park before the snow hits.
The event consists of a 30 km bike ride followed by a 10 km trail run. Solo racers or teams can sign up at the shop鈥攍ocated at 618 Patricia St.鈥攐r sign-up on race day.
The entry fee is $35 per racer, which includes a taco bar, race entry and a dinner catered by Coco鈥檚 Cafe.
Alternatively, racers can pay $10 just for the race or $30 just for dinner.
The event kicks-off at 1 p.m. from the Miette River pullout on Highway 93 and will take cyclists down Highway 93A to Athabasca Falls, where their run will commence.
The victory dinner will be held at the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion at 7 p.m.
