All Sections All Sections Winnipeg Free Press
Your Balance +tax Your Balance +tax

January 23, 2021

Winnipeg
-9° C, Light snow

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Canstar Community News
  • The Herald
  • The Lance
  • The Sou'wester
  • The Metro
  • The Times
  • The Headliner
  • Sports
  • Correspondents
  • Columns
  • Contact Us
  • Publications
  • Building Unity: Our Community Centres

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Why bridges are better than culverts

Michele Kading By: Michele Kading
Posted: 12/28/2018 1:57 PM

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
Wildlife and people can pass safely under railway bridges high above the Seine River.

PHOTO BY MICHELE KADING

Wildlife and people can pass safely under railway bridges high above the Seine River.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/12/2018 (756 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Imagine that you are floating down the urban Seine River from the floodway to the Red River. You will encounter 20 river crossings on your 26-kilometre adventure.


Thirteen river crossings are bridges. The Seine has two train bridges, three vehicle bridges (Fermor, Royalwood, and Creek Bend), and eight pedestrian bridges.


Bridges are the best type of river crossing. They do not limit the amount of water the river can carry. They can often be built without disturbing the river so the impact on fish and habitat is minimal. The natural river bottom, banks, and riparian plants can be retained. Bridges do not block fish and other aquatic animals. Terrestrial animals like deer can travel safely under the bridge along the shore (Fermor Bridge). Unless the river is running high, you should be able to easily float beneath most Seine River bridges except the smaller footbridges (Niakwa Trail, Windsor Park and St. Boniface Golf Courses).


At the other seven river crossings, embankments were built (instead of bridges) to support roads or train tracks crossing the river. Culverts were installed for the river to pass through the embankments.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up


A culvert is a tunnel or pipe. If you float through a large culvert, you will see concrete or metal to your sides and overhead. Culverts with open bottoms are better than those with closed bottoms because they retain the natural stream substrate.


A culvert that spans the active channel will often allow fish and other aquatic species to pass through. If culverts are narrower than the natural channel, they constrict the flow of water. This increases its velocity. Depending on the length of the culvert and the velocity of the water, fish may be unable to swim through the culvert.


Unlike bridges, river crossings with embankments and culverts block the movement of terrestrial species. Deer, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, rabbits, and people travelling the river corridor will walk up the embankment and across the road or railway tracks rather than swimming through a culvert.


The province is planning upgrades to Highway 100 (South Perimeter). This presents an opportunity to replace the 65-year-old box culvert on the Seine with a new bridge to allow wildlife and people to move safely under the wider highway. The project also proposes two new crossings on the Seine.


Would you prefer bridges or culverts? Public open houses are planned for Jan. 14, 17, and 22.

Michele Kading is a community correspondent for St. Vital and the executive director of Save Our Seine.

Michele Kading

Michele Kading
St. Vital community correspondent

Michele Kading is a community correspondent for St. Vital.

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top