An announcement Friday begins the final phase of a restoration plan for New Brunswick’s Petitcodiac River. Here’s a timeline of the river’s last 50 years:
1966 – Construction on the Petitcodiac Causeway begins, linking Moncton and Riverview.
1968 – Construction is completed and the causeway is opened to traffic. Within three years, tonnes of silt are deposited downstream from the causeway, restricting fish movements and the tidal bore.
1969-1999 – Various reports are done on the effects of the causeway on the area’s ecosystems, and on issues with the operation of the causeway gates.
2001 – A report makes numerous recommendations, including the removal of some or all of the causeway and the construction of a bridge.
2003 – Earthwild International designates the Petitcodiac River as the second-most endangered river in Canada because of heavy silt deposits and a significant decline in salmon population.
2007 – Decision is made to replace part of the causeway with a bridge.
2010 – Gates on the causeway are permanently opened in the first phase of work to restore the river.
READ MORE: Petitcodiac River gates close for environmental assessment
2010-2016 – With the gates open, the seasonal response was monitored as the river, fish population and the surrounding habitat adjusted to the changes.
2016 – Announcement of $61.6 million from the federal and New Brunswick governments to remove a section of the causeway and replace it with a four-lane bridge. Work is expected to take four to five years.
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