Timeline: New Brunswick’s Petitcodiac River

MONCTON, N.B. – 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.

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.